BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Officials say potential state budget cuts could greatly impact North Dakota’s judicial system.
Gov. Doug Burgum has proposed 5 and 10 percent budget reductions for agencies and an additional 3 percent contingency.
Aaron Birst is the legal counsel for the North Dakota Association of Counties. He told the interim Justice Reinvestment Committee Thursday that some prosecutors are concerned by the budget cuts “that would absolutely have a hit to the criminal justice system.”
According to Birst, courts don’t have projects to shelve like other agencies, The Bismarck Tribune reported.
“They just have staff,” Birst said.
Don Wolf is the finance director for the state Supreme Court. He said more than 75 percent of the judicial budget is salaries and wages. Budget reductions from last session cut about 35 full-time employees of total court staff statewide.
Fourteen temporary and contract positions also were cut, along with some travel, professional development and various juvenile court reductions. The reductions include the closure of the Bottineau juvenile office.
Birst said the juvenile court system plays directly into some of the criminal justice reforms passed last session. He also said that programs from the state’s justice reinvestment need support to see results.
“Long-term, we’re hoping justice reinvestment pays for itself because the theory being the less jail space and corrections you have, that money can be diverted towards treatment aspects,” Birst said. “But at least in the short term, justice reinvestment is going to need a lot of support because you still have the corrections issues and you also have to beef up the treatment issues.”
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
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