Grant funds program to cut repeat offenses

Fulton County has been granted approximately $749,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice as a part of the federal Second Chance Act. The monies will be used to fund a program designed to reduce recidivism.

Inmates selected to participate in Fulton County’s Second Chance Project will receive assistance while they are in the Fulton County Jail and for 18 months after their release. The services provided by the program will focus on helping participants change their behavior.

Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Cynthia Wright said that the program will bring needed additions to the state's effort to rehabilitate offenders.

"The Superior Court looks forward to working with our Justice System Partners, Chairman [John] Eaves and the County Commission in ensuring that the Second Chance Project is the first step toward improving offender outcomes and public safety," Judge Wright said.

By reducing recidivism, the Taskforce hopes to help inmates reclaim their lives, help the community with improved public safety, and help save taxpayer dollars. The Fulton County criminal justice system cost taxpayers approximately $221.9 million for 2010. Inmates released back to Fulton County from the state prison system have a 47% recidivism rate.

Fulton County is among 116 organizations in the U.S. – and one of only 17 counties – that will receive Second Chance Act funding this year. The grant allows for an annual renewal for the amount received for up to three years.

The grant was developed by the Fulton County Reentry Taskforce, headed by Fulton County Chairman John H. Eaves, with support from key justice system officials, including District Attorney Paul Howard, Sheriff Ted Jackson, Chief Judge Wright, Public Defender Vernon Pitts, and state agencies including the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Georgia Department of Pardons and Paroles, and the Georgia Department of Labor. Nonprofit and education partners include the Atlanta and Fulton County School systems, the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, the Georgia Justice Project, Atlanta Metropolitan College and the Atlanta Technical College, Community Voices and the Morehouse School of Medicine.

"Our Second Chance grant award validates the process we have undertaken -- to bring everyone to the table to identify the best ways to address the public safety challenges we all face in Fulton County,” said Fulton Commission Chairman Eaves.

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source: Fulton County news release Oct. 22, 2010
More details at: Second Chance Program Fact Sheet

Fulton Courts merge programs

ATLANTA – The pretrial release supervision programs of the Fulton County Superior and State Courts will be combined in what Court officials call the beginning of a new era of cooperation and efficiency.

Approved Wednesday by Fulton County Commissioners the merger combines offices that supervised misdemeanor and felony defendants. It was a measure promised by Court leaders earlier this year to increase the efficiency of court operations in the face of ongoing budget constraints.

“This change ushers in a new era of cooperation between State and Superior Courts of sharing services to increase the efficiency of both Courts,” said Chief Superior Court Judge Cynthia Wright who became Chief Judge in May.

State Court Chief Judge Patsy Porter, who also took office this year, agreed that the merger is “a good opportunity to work together as a court system; to show that we are on the same team.”

A committee of State Court judges Susan B. Forsling, Susan E. Edlein and Fred C. Eady worked with State Court staff to hammer out the details of the transfer, Judge Porter said. She praised the “invaluable” service of State Court staff members Mark Harper, Valerie Jordan and Adelaide Wilder in preparing for the transfer of the misdemeanor pretrial release and supervision to Superior Court.

Current State Court pretrial office employees will become Superior Court employees under the agreement, said Superior Court Administrator Yolanda Lewis. No jobs will be eliminated during the transition and combining operations will provide an opportunity to evaluate and improve efficiencies with both programs, Lewis said.

Pretrial Services officers provide neutral, non-adversarial and verified information to judges, defense attorneys, and the prosecutors for use in determining whether to grant bond at a defendant’s initial court appearance and any subsequent hearings where bond and or conditions of release are being determined.

Supervision officers conduct drug testing of defendants to determine the prevalence of drug addiction in the jail population and provide initial screening for addiction and or mental illness to determine which defendants may be appropriately referred to Drug or Mental Health Court.

Working around the clock seven days a week Superior Court Pretrial Services screened 14,220 felony defendants in 2009. Of that total, judges assigned 4,435 defendants to the supervised release program.

Defendants in the supervised release program are much more likely to appear in court and avoid further arrests. In 2009, 97 percent of defendants released to Pretrial supervision attended all scheduled court hearings while avoiding new criminal charges.

The Superior and State Courts of Fulton County are Georgia’s largest and busiest trial courts.

Learn more about the Superior Court on Facebook and follow Court developments on twitter. You can also access information about Superior and State Court programs on the internet at www.fultoncourt.org.

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Jury Newsletter Focuses on Judges

The current issue of Jury Matters includes profiles of three judges, including one visiting from Japan; upgrades to security at the Fulton County Superior Court; tips on resolving disputes without going to court; and the history of Grand Juries.


October, 2010 issue


The quarterly newsletter also has information on staying comfortable and keeping up with business demands during jury service.

And a regular feature, our Service feedback form helps the Court maintain top customer service for those who provide a vital public service.

Download your copy and learn more about the judicial branch and how jurors preserve our democratic system of government.

“Invaluable” Business Court Turns 5

ATLANTA – The Fulton Superior Court Business Case Division, which marks its 5th anniversary today, Oct. 11, 2010, has grown into an “invaluable resource” for Atlanta’s business community according to an attorney who specializes in business litigation.

Fulton’s Business Court, recognized in 2009 as the most innovative business court in the nation by the National Association of County Executives, has enhanced Atlanta’s position as a business hub in the Southeast.

“When discussing the option of requesting transfer to the Fulton Business Court, we tell our clients that it is the closest thing to being in Federal Court without actually being there,” said Walter H. Bush, a shareholder at the law firm Carlton Fields “We tell them that matters are handled in an expeditious and efficient matter, the judges understand business law cases and no game playing to avoid getting to the real issues is allowed.”

Since October 2005, Business Court has dealt with litigation involving more than 400 Atlanta area businesses and has drawn praise for the dispatch with which complicated Business disputes are resolved. Business Court also has freed up the Superior Court judges’ civil case calendars by handling these time-consuming, complicated cases.

“The Business Court has provided a valuable service to the business community and the bar during the past five years, said Mary C. Gill, Chair of the Georgia Bar Association’s Business Court Committee.

“The Business Court was established to provide an efficient and dedicated forum to resolve complex commercial and business cases, said Gill, a partner at Alston & Bird LLP. The Business Court has succeeded in meeting these objectives through enhanced procedures and availability, as measured by the increased caseload over the past five years.”

Through September of this year Business Court has resolved 21 of the 64 cases it has handled in 2010.

The Fulton County Business Court was the state’s first specialized venue for complex commercial and business litigation. A Rule Amendment approved by the Georgia Supreme Court in June 2007 that made transferring cases to Business Court easier has more than doubled its caseload.

Eligible cases involve contractual disputes, commercial litigation, securities, or questions of corporate, limited liability company or partnership law. Business Court-eligible cases involve multiple issues and/or parties and complex questions of substantive law that require additional judicial resources to manage and adjudicate.

Business Court uses a high-tech Courtroom with document cameras, projectors, and evidence display system. Teleconference hearings can be arranged, to further reduce time and costs associated with complex cases. Business litigator Bush said that having judges who only hear Business Court cases brings flexibility of time, subject matter expertise, and judicial experience to the resolution of these disputes.

“I am reminded of the old story about the lawyer who called his partner to tell how the case came out. ‘Justice was done,’ to which the partner replied, ‘appeal immediately,’ Bush said. “For those actually seeking justice, the Fulton Business Court is a terrific forum, and to those attorneys who practice business related litigation and their clients with business disputes, it is an invaluable resource.”

Currently, Business Court cases are heard by Superior Court Judge Melvin K. Westmoreland and Senior Superior Court Judges Alice D. Bonner and Elizabeth E. Long.

The Superior Court of Fulton County is Georgia’s largest and busiest trial court and is a national leader in innovations that increase access to justice for all citizens. Follow the Court on Facebook and twitter and access Court programs and information on the internet at www.fultoncourt.org.

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