The Delaware Judiciary has taken the first steps to streamline Delaware’s problem-solving courts.
The improvement efforts were kicked off Monday with the release of the final report of the Criminal Justice Council of the Judiciary (CJCJ) at the Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington.
The council was formed in October 2014 by order of the Delaware Supreme Court following Chief Justice Leo E. Strine Jr.’s call for a review of the problem-solving courts and their operations. The council is chaired by Superior Court Judge William C. Carpenter, Jr. and co-chaired by Superior Court President Judge Jan R. Jurden who led a team of judicial officers in their extensive substantive review of each problem-solving court throughout the State.
This review culminated in the CJCJ’s “Report on Delaware’s Problem-Solving Courts.” The report contains a series of recommendations to improve Delaware’s problem-solving courts by enabling them to operate more efficiently and consistently while providing the same level of specialized attention designed to address the root causes of recurring issues among those with mental health issues and substance abuse issues and those unique to veterans.
In conjunction with the release of the report on Monday, April 24, Chief Justice Leo E. Strine, Jr. signed a Supreme Court order consolidating the Superior Court and Court of Common Pleas Drug Courts and Mental Health Courts in New Castle County to test the initiative.The cross-designation of three Superior Court judges and one Superior Court
The cross-designation of three Superior Court judges and one Superior Court commissioner and four Court of Common Pleas judges will allow them greater flexibility in handling cases involving lower-level felonies and misdemeanors, where the focus is more often on treatment issues and working to ensure compliance with treatment rather than on punishment, a release stated.
The Delaware Judiciary received a $300,000 grant that will be used to fund a 36-month project to develop statewide core standards and policies for problem-solving courts in Delaware and to fund a contractual statewide problem-solving court coordinator. The grant is funded by the Delaware Criminal Justice Council by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Adult Drug Court Program.
As a part of the reorganization of the problem-solving courts, there will now also be an increased focus on gathering statistics and tracking outcomes to further refine the problem- solving court system and ensure that the courts are producing the desired, positive results without overburdening or draining critical resources from traditional court operations.
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) will be a partner with the Delaware Courts as a part of the 36-month project to establish best practices and develop tools to allow individual courts to assess their compliance with the new standards.
“We would like to thank the Criminal Justice Council and the National Center for State Courts for their assistance in helping us secure this important grant and launch this important problem-solving court initiative,” said Delaware State Court Administrator Patricia Griffin. “We are also grateful for the Criminal Justice Council of the Judiciary’s thorough review of Delaware’s problem-solving courts, which laid the groundwork for this project and will serve as the blueprint for efforts to improve these courts’ operations.”
