Despite heavy cuts to the budget, court official in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA), have taken on heavier workloads to to ensure justice for the local community. Elsewhere across the United States, fewer staff positionas and less money hav meant many violations are going unprosecuted. Accused criminals are even going free because their rights to speedy trials cannot be guaranteed.
The American Bar Association has determined that states have trimmed court funding 10 to 15 percent since 2008, resultingin staff layoffs and judgeships going unfilled. In Virginia, the budget for commonwealth attorneys has been cut by 10 percent.
Though some delays have occurred in the local judicial process, officials say things have stayed largely stable in the Hampton Roads area. Backups and slowdowns aren’t the only results of the budget cuts, but a defendant charged with a crime going free hasn’t happened.
As a personal injury attorney, I’m comforted by this news. Knowing that justice is being served despite severe budget cuts in a terrible economic climate gives me faith in the system. No matter how tough times get, we must provide citizens with their right to fair and speedy trials.
CD