WE CAN DO BETTER – Part 16

WE CAN DO BETTER – Part 16

By Alan Miller, Candidate for Judge Superior Court II

 

Transparency 

Transparency is also lacking in the current justice system. The public perception is that closed door meetings and back room deals dictate the day. The mere appearance of a lack of transparency is enough to create distrust in the system itself. There are several things I will change when elected.

 

All hearings public and on the record

 

Any court proceedings, however minor, must be public. The public is the most important check in our system of government. A complete record must be made to ensure the proper procedures are being followed.  

For instance, a common practice among our courts is the Pre-Trial Conference. This is often a court proceeding that occurs between the judge, a member of his or her staff, a prosecutor, and a defense attorney. It often takes place behind closed doors in the judge’s chambers, and, unlike most other hearings, is not recorded. 

Admittedly, not much ever really happens at these conferences. However, speaking with clients and other members of the community, the perception is that this is where the parties hash out how a case is to be resolved. Unfortunately, since the public is not able to view these conferences for themselves, there is no way to know for sure. 

When elected, all hearings, conferences, or discussions with the parties involving the case will be public and will be recorded. This is a step that must be taken to ensure and restore the public’s trust in our system of justice.

 

All funding and expenditures public record and available for review upon request

 

One of the first things I wanted to do after announcing my candidacy was to review the court’s budget. In theory, this should not have been at all difficult. However, it took several phone calls, a couple of letters, and a number of hours to obtain all the information we were seeking. It took several more hours to try to figure out where the money came from and where it was going. We are not just talking about where the court is spending money. We are also talking about the court’s alternative forms of funding, such as grants. Because these alternative funds are located in county accounts separate from the court's regular line items, it is difficult and time consuming to figure out just how much money the court actually has at its disposal. 

One should be able to make a simple phone call and see just how much taxpayer money is coming in and how much is going out. One should also be able to sit down and within several minutes, be able to understand where the money is coming from and where it is going.  

When elected, the court’s budget will be available for review at the reception desk. If one does not understand how something is calculated or otherwise has a question, I will be happy to sit down with that person and explain it to them. Public officials owe at least that much to those footing the bill.

 

This is the sixteenth part of my platform statement; a detailed proposal for how to improve our current justice system. It will be released over the next several months through facebook.com/makeitmiller2012 and makeitmiller2012.com. PLEASE feel free to forward this to your friends and family.
Thanks for your continued support!

Alan Miller