East and Mid Atlantic

Vol. 36, Number 4—April 2004

Judiciary In Depth

East and Mid Atlantic

We were fortunate that two staff members voluntarily resigned during the early months of FY 2004, otherwise the clerk's office would have been unable to meet payroll through 9/30/04 without a combination of furloughs and involuntary separations.
District Court,
Western District of New York

The budget reductions have had an impact. Our entire staff works beyond normal working hours and even on weekends, without overtime, but we are unable to keep pace with maintaining clerk's office files.
District Court,
District of New Jersey

Drug testing and treatment placement have been adversely affected. There has been a delay in the preparation of presentence investigation reports and the sentencing process has been extended. Court and supervision workloads have not diminished, but we are doing more with less.
Probation Office,
Middle District of Pennsylvania

The most significant impact of budget cuts is the inability to do any type of planning. As a result, we are forced into an ongoing crisis management style. This way of operating is definitely not in the long-term best interests of the court and the public.
District Court,
District of Maryland

If the financial outlook for the Judiciary remains bleak into 2005, probation officers, and consequently community safety, would be negatively impacted. Officer vacancies would likely not be filled. . . . Field supervision, the most effective means of monitoring an offender's behavior, would be virtually eliminated, ultimately resulting in an increased risk of recidivism.
Probation and Pretrial Services Office,
District of Maryland

[W]e will be forced to furlough all our personnel. The impact will be in all levels of the court operations and services.
Bankruptcy Court,
District of Puerto Rico

Over the past several years, we have seen a tremendous increase in violent offenders, as well as sexual predators. Without funding to hire or maintain adequate staff, supervision will have to take a back seat.
Probation Office,
Northern District of West Virginia

Judiciary In Depth Main

Southeast

Midwest and Great Lakes

Southwest

West and Northwest