NCJ Number
247222
Date Published
January 2012
Length
89 pages
Annotation
This report presents information on the status of the implementation of Arizona's Fill-the-Gap (FTG) legislation (Senate bill 1013), which increased State funding of county agencies' criminal justice case processing from State general funds and fine revenues.
Abstract
The FTG funding is intended to reduce case-processing time in each county and statewide. State Supreme Court rules require that 90 percent of cases (excluding capital cases and complex cases) are to be adjudicated within 100 days of arraignment, and 99 percent of cases are to be adjudicated within 180 days. Complex cases are allowed 270 days from arraignment to adjudication; and capital cases are given 730 days (24 months). The Rural Aid to County Attorneys and indigent defense programs funded through the General Fund were eliminated in FY2010, thus resulting in a continued loss of $307,800 during FY2011. In addition, $453,800 was cut from the fine-revenue portion of the program through fund sweeps and appropriation reductions for FY2011. The FTG program is faced with additional budget cuts in FY2012, further weakening the ability to operate these programs effectively. During the 2011 legislative session, FY2012 funding for the indigent defense program was redirected to the Department of Public Safety to fund border enforcement. No FTG funds were appropriated for indigent defense in FY2012, which essentially eliminated funding for this program for the year. At the end of FY2011, all but one agency receiving FTG funds reported case-processing numbers short of Supreme Court standards. Of the $2,106,691.73 FTG expenditures reported in FY2011, $1,879,260.13 was spent on salaries, $42,880.25 was allotted for equipment, $62,684.20 paid for contractual services, $62,251.12 was spent on case-management software, $2,250.00 went to coordination efforts, and $57,366.03 funded "other" expenditures. 96 tables