Early Disposition Court expedites justice, saves taxpayer dollars

Pinal County’s Early Disposition Court (EDC) is a success. By December, when it reaches its first anniversary, It will have helped clear hundreds of cases.

As of Oct. 1 the court is operating two full days a week.

This court began addressing victimless crime in December 2009 and gradually added victim cases. From Jan. 1 through Sept. 24, EDC was assigned 810 cases and 592 of them were resolved. Most cases are non-complex and victimless, criminal crimes against property, for example, a break-in when residents were not at home or criminal DUI’s when no property was damaged or persons injured.

“EDC helps the whole criminal justice system provide for timely justice in cases that can be expedited,” County attorney James P. Walsh said. “This court can minimize expenditures and allow us to redirect our resources as our population grows and demands on existing personnel become greater.”

Every player in the law enforcement and legal chain must agree to take a case to EDC. The defendant, the public defender, the courts, probation and law enforcement must all determine that the case can best be expedited, not only saving taxpayer money but also providing the defendant with a speedier resolution to his or her case.

EDC became a reality with the collaborative participation of the Pinal County Superior Court, the Pinal County Attorney’s Office, the Pinal County Public Defender, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Adult Probation and the Clerk of the Court. The clerk’s office responded strongly to the new challenge, and, according to Walsh’s office “really made it possible.”

“Of course we had to cross-train courtroom clerks to teach them the entire hearing process, since most of them were trained to deal with specific parts of the legal process,” Clerk of the Court Kristi Youtsey Ruiz said. “The courtroom clerks in my office attend fewer hearings and spend less time on cases because the EDC cases can and are usually concluded in one hearing.”

The benefits of the program became apparent during this first phase that began in December and ended in July. Usually only one hearing takes place. A judge, prosecutors, public defenders, probation officers and courtroom clerks attend that one hearing, and fewer or no continuance hearings.

“The EDC is still a project in progress,” Walsh said. “We are still refining the system to make it work for all involved, so that justice is provided while saving money for the taxpayers who foot the bill.”

For more information contact Kostas Kalaitzidis at 520-866-6699 or 520-709-1333 or by email at [email protected].

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