Title
Title
Allocations and Reimbursements to Trial Courts | Early Disposition Program: Recommended Disbursement of Court Funding (Action Required)
body
Summary
Summary
The Budget Act of 2021 provided one-time funding of $30 million to support trial courts addressing the COVID-19 pandemic-induced criminal backlog, by encouraging the establishment of early disposition programs. As directed by the Legislature, courts are required to provide data on the use of funding being requested from the Chief Justice’s Temporary Assigned Judges Program, via the Judicial Council, to support their programs. Judicial Council staff developed a funding request process for courts, consistent with requirements in the budget bill language, and recommend the Judicial Council approve the first phase of funding disbursements to courts that requested funds to support their early disposition programs.
body
Recommendation
Recommendation
Judicial Council staff from the Criminal Justice Services office and Temporary Assigned Judges Program recommend that the Judicial Council, effective November 19, 2021:
1. Approve the distribution of funding for the first phase of the Early Disposition Program from the Chief Justice’s Temporary Assigned Judges Program (listed in Attachment A: Early Disposition Program Phase One Funding Recommendations); and
2. Direct Judicial Council staff to distribute remaining funds for the Early Disposition Program to courts during the second phase of the project starting after January 2022, consistent with the approach recommended in this report for the first phase, including identified needs of the courts and the provision of data, as required.