Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society
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Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society |
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II. JOSEPHINE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON ADOPTED BUDGET: FY 2015-16 • Josephine County (JO CO) Board of County Commissioners (BCC). June 17, 2015. Josephine County, Oregon Adopted Budget FY 2015-16. JO CO BCC Resolution Number 2015-026. Grants Pass, OR. PUBLIC SAFETY FUND (PSF), JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON (PSF, pages 158/764 - 223/764) I. PUBLIC SAFETY FUND DESCRIPTION (PSF, page 160/764) II. BUDGET – RESOURCES AND REQUIREMENTS III. PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS AND BUDGETS A. Sheriff (PSF, pages 164/764 - 199/764) B. District Attorney (PSF, pages 200/764 - 216/764) 1. Program: Criminal Prosecution 2. Program: Victim Assistance 3. Program: Support Enforcement C. Juvenile Justice (PSF, pages 217/764 - 223/764)
PUBLIC HEALTH, JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON (PHF, pages 262/764 - 321/764) Animal Protection and Regulation (PHF, pages 300/764 - 302/764)
ADULT CORRECTIONS FUND (ACF), JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON (ACF, pages 224/764 - 261/764)
PUBLIC SAFETY FUND DESCRIPTION (PSF, page 160/764)
The Public Safety Fund was formed in 2006. It was comprised of three departments: Sheriff, District Attorney, and Community Justice, which had previously been in the General Fund. The Community Justice Department was further reorganized into Juvenile Justice and Adult Corrections. In 2007, Adult Corrections was moved to a separate fund. The Sheriff and District Attorney are elected officials. The manager of the Juvenile Justice Department reports to a liaison County Commissioner. The departments within this fund provide support for the criminal justice system utilized by city, county and state law enforcement. County wide services include court prosecution, civil services, the jail and juvenile facility.
The budget is in balance, which means that the budgeted requirements (expenditures and ending fund balance) are equal to the resources (beginning fund balance and revenues) that are estimated to be available during the budget year. The primary source of revenue to operate the departments in this Fund had been monies received under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) and a transfer from the General Fund. Additionally, programs operated by the three departments generate revenues for specific program purposes. The TARP "county payments" money replaced the O&C distributions that the County received for many years.
A summary of the Public Safety Fund (Resources and Requirements) is presented first in the Josephine County, Oregon Adopted Budget FY 2015-16, followed by sections for each of the three departments. The money available for them is equal to total resources of the fund, less the requirement for Internal Service Fund charges. Major reductions in programs occurred in FY 2012-13 due to the loss of funding and five percent reductions have been occurring annually since.
For each department, there is a summary of its programs (Schedule A), which in turn is supported by a Program Worksheet (Schedule B) for each program. Schedule B provides information about the purpose of the program, how much revenue it is expected to generate during the budget year, and a breakdown of its expenditure budget by the categories specified in Oregon Local Budget Law.
Schedules C, D, and E provide details of resources, personal services and other expenditures, respectively.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE (PSF, pages 200/764 - 216/764)
1. Program: Criminal Prosecution (PSF, page 206/764) Fund: Public Safety Fund (12) Office/Division: District Attorney Cost Center #: 1410
Purpose of Program Oregon Revised Statutes mandate that the District Attorney shall attend court and prosecute all offenses occurring in the District Attorney's county. ORS 8.660. Oregon Revised Statutes mandate that the District Attorney shall attend and advise the grand jury. ORS 8.670. Oregon Revised Statutes mandate that the District Attorney shall appear in juvenile court to assist the court in any matter within the juvenile court's jurisdiction. ORS 8.685. The goal of the criminal prosecution unit is to successfully prosecute offenders for all crimes occurring in Josephine County and obtain an appropriate sentence that both advances public safety and provides justice to the victim.
DESIRED OUTCOMES AND GOALS
Budget Goal #1 - Improve community outreach and communication to the public by investing in technology that will improve efficiencies within County Departments and provide enhanced services to citizens.
The District Attorney's Office serves citizens by incarcerating the most dangerous offenders in state prison, holding accountable and encouraging reformation of lesser offenders, protecting children from physical and sexual abuse, lowering the crime rate, instilling a sense of safety in the community, and helping to provide our community with a business friendly environment.
The District Attorney's Office meets Budget Goal #1 by employing attorneys to represent the interests of the community in criminal court. Deputy District Attorneys openly communicate with victims when appropriate. The District Attorney's Victim's Assistance Unit constantly updates all victims on the status of their case whenever a victim requests such notification.
Budget Goal #2 - Develop a sustainable plan for all mandated and essential County government programs.
The District Attorney's Office employs Deputy District Attorneys (lawyers) to attend court and prosecute all offenses in Josephine County. For lawyers to obtain successful outcomes in court, the assistance of support staff is required. Support staff are responsible for: arranging the appearance of witnesses in court; obtaining copies of police and lab reports; organizing files; assisting in preparing exhibits for trial; providing discovery to defense counsel; communicating with court staff; answering questions of the public when appropriate, etc. Together, the lawyers and support staff of the District Attorney's Office almost always obtain positive outcomes for victims and the community. The District Attorney's Office meets Budget Goal #2 by allocating 91% of its budget to personal services costs. Maintaining the employment of the skilled professionals in the District Attorney's Office ensures the citizens of Josephine County will have access to justice when victimized. Maintaining the employment of the skilled professionals in the District Attorney's Office ensures the safety of our community. The District Attorney's Office actively seeks reimbursements and grants for any of the work that qualifies for assistance.
Budget Goal #3 - Provide access to County services to the citizens of Josephine County in a transparent, open and professional manner.
Protecting ongoing investigations, victims, and informants can require the District Attorney's Office to withhold information from the public. Additionally, the Oregon State Bar Association places restrictions on the information prosecuting attorneys can make public in active cases. However, the District Attorney's Office meets Budget Goal #3 by, when appropriate, making information easily accessible to the public through communication with our attorneys, support staff, or victim's services office.
2. Program: Victim Assistance (PSF, page 210/764) Fund: Public Safety Fund (12) Office/Division: District Attorney Cost Center #: 1420
Purpose of Program The District Attorney is required to advise victims of their Constitutional rights and to assist them in the exercise of their rights. ORS 137.106; ORS 147.417; Oregon Constitution, Article 1, § 42. The program's desired outcomes are to afford the victim meaningful participating in the criminal justice process so that the physical, emotional and economic impact of crime is minimized. Staff members provide victims access to information and resources in a compassionate, responsive and dedicated manner. They research, verify and request restitution from the offenders to the crime victim. They provide emotional support and educate crime victims during the course of their criminal cases, and assist them with filing restraining orders and no-contact orders. They keep the victim advised of the progress of their case and notify them of all court dates and outcomes.
The majority of the Victims Assistance Program is funded by Victims of Crimes Act (VOCA) grant funds and Unitary Assessment Funds received from the State for the express purpose of operating this program. The VOCA Non-Competive Grant has been funding a Victim Assistance Specialist position for over 25 years. This grant now pays for 80% of this position. This staff member's primary function is to assist victims of crimes perpetrated by adults. The VOCA Competitve Grant currently completely funds a full-time Victim Assistance Specialist whose function is to assist victims of crimes perpetrated by both juvenile and adult offenders. Unitary Assessment dollars fund 90% of the Victim Assistance Director's position. The VA Director is responsible for overseeing the entire program, collecting and maintaining requred statistics and reports, recruiting & training volunteers, and assisting all victims of crime in Josephine County.
The Victim Assistance Program goal is to provide victims of crime with information and services that support and enhance their understanding of and participating in the criminal justice system. Outcomes include 95% of victims self report a better understanding of their rights as a victim of crime, a better understanding of the criminal justice system as it relates to their case, and satisfaction with the results of the prosecution of their offender.
3. Program: Support Enforcement (PSF, page 213/764) Fund: Public Safety Fund (12) Office/Division: District Attorney Cost Center #: 1430
Purpose of Program ORS 8.675 tells the District Attorney that except for criminal prosecutions he shall give priority to the enforcement of child support orders. The goal of the program is to enhance the well-being of children by providing child support services to families.
Desired outcomes are that the Support Enforcement Program helps more than 1,000 parents provide the financial and emotional support their children need while returning crucial funds to the community. The services it provides help children in need, reduce reliance on public assistance, encourage family self-sufficiency and save taxpayer money. Collecting child support is a vital job because it makes a major difference in the lives of children in Josephine County.
Program staff pursue delinquent parents and work with parents who want to support their children. Contempt charges for non support are filed against delinquent parents who are willfully failing to pay their child support obligations, are seriously delinquent and owe large amount of back support.
They work with parents to increase and/or decrease the amount of support ordered when changes in financial circumstances warrant an adjustment.
Program outcomes of the Josephine County District Attorney's Support Enforcement Division include the annual collection of over $3,000,000 in child support owed.
Approximately 85% of all costs associated with the Support Enforcement Program are reimbursed by the State of Oregon.
4. Elective, Necessary, And/or Mandated District Attorney's Office PSS
a) Oregon Revised Statues
1. Program: Criminal Prosecution • Oregon Revised Statutes mandate that the District Attorney shall attend court and prosecute all offenses occurring in the District Attorney's county. ORS 8.660. • Oregon Revised Statutes mandate that the District Attorney shall attend and advise the grand jury. ORS 8.670. • Oregon Revised Statutes mandate that the District Attorney shall appear in juvenile court to assist the court in any matter within the juvenile court's jurisdiction. ORS 8.685.
2. Program: Victim Assistance • The District Attorney is required to advise victims of their Constitutional rights and to assist them in the exercise of their rights. ORS 137.106; ORS 147.417; Oregon Constitution, Article 1, § 42.
3. Program: Support Enforcement • ORS 8.675 tells the District Attorney that except for criminal prosecutions he shall give priority to the enforcement of child support orders.
b) Oregon Administrative Rules ?
c) Josephine County Policy/Law ? |