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Courts ask for staff and tech after state adds two criminal court divisions
Summary
Criminal court clerks and the district attorney asked Shelby County commissioners for equipment and personnel to staff two new criminal courtrooms created by the state, including $260,111 for two courtrooms and requests for additional prosecutors, paralegals and at least one video analyst.
Rebecca Terrell, chief administrative officer for the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk's office, said HB1268 created two new criminal courtrooms and the clerk's office needs to equip and staff them.
"We are asking for tech costs which would equal $12,456.32 and personnel which would equal $247,655," Terrell said, summarizing the office's request of $260,111.32 to provide computers, digital docket displays and four employees (two per courtroom).
District Attorney Steve Mulroy told commissioners his office is also under strain from video discovery and the state-created court divisions. Mulroy said the state originally intended to include staffing in the bill but staffing language was removed; he asked the commission for two additional prosecutors (he said the state suggested four but the DA's office is requesting two) and for paralegals and a video-technical analyst to handle body-cam and other video evidence.
"We currently only have six paralegals staffing 14 divisions," Mulroy said, calling the office's paralegal-to-attorney ratio about 1-to-20 versus a typical 1-to-6 benchmark. He said the DA's office reduced one of two requested litigation analyst positions to one because of the state changes but still needs staff to keep pace with discovery demands.
Commissioners asked follow-up questions about who removed staffing from the bill and how new courtrooms will affect other departments (public defenders, sheriff deputies, clerks). Mulroy said he would research which amendment removed staffing language and provide the information to the commission.
