Department: District Courts
Department Head/Elected Official: Richard Woods
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Grant
Project ID (if applicable): ARPA_AJS
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the District Courts for approval to carryforward into FY25, $1,380,163 in unspent FY24 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Local Fiscal Recovery Funds needed to continue backlog initiatives, including 1 Application Developer, 1 part-time staff attorney, 4 case management analysts, 2 court reporters, and 2 court coordinators, effective October 1, 2024.
end
Background and Discussion:
In January 2022, the Harris County District Criminal Courts established the two-year Associate Judge (AJ) program and Emergency Relief Trial Dockets (ERTD), to address the case backlog caused by displacement from the courthouse following Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic.? On August 16, 2024, the ARPA Steering Committee approved $1,380,163 in rollover funding for 10 more positions through FY25.
Expected Impact:
This funding will allow for the retention of 4 case management analysts (CMAs) who will assist the AJ program by:
(1) identifying people in custody with State Jail felonies, and low-level non-violent offenses that have been in custody for longer than 90 days;
(2) notifying Courts of cases identified for placement on the weekly docket;
(3) notifying qualifying parties their case is on docket to be resolved; and
(4) assisting with tracking stats on the AJP. CMAs will also assist with quality assurance protocols for indigent defense appointments by reviewing vouchers and jail logs.
Additionally, CMAs will assist with mental health court (MHC) by tracking the following:
(1) wait times in the jail and ho...
Click here for full text