NEWS & PHOTOS: Check here periodically for news and photos from the campaign trail.
Judge Rosenfield with former HD106 state representative candidate and Grand Prairie Democrats President Katy Hubener and State Democratic Executive Committeewoman Susan Culp.
With community Democratic activist Edna Pemberton.
Dallas County East Democrats president Serio Garcia and Judge Rosenfield.
KHVN Radio Community Outreach Director Karl Banks and Judge Rosenfield.
Judge Rosenfield with Stonewall Democrats of Dallas president Erin Moore.
With Dallas City Councilwoman Vonciel Jones Hill.
Immediate past president of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, Jesse Garcia, with Judge Rosenfield.
JUDGE ROSENFIELD'S NEWS BLOG - JAN. 2009
Two Years of Changes Lead to a Better County Criminal Court of Appeals No. 2
I. Written Policies
As of January 2009, I am proud to say the court is in very good shape. I have been Judge for approximately two years and the court has gone through several changes. One of the first things I did was to institute formal written policies. I am one of the few, if not the only, Dallas County Criminal Court Judge who has formal written policies and procedures for the litigants in my court. These policies can be found on the Court Info page of this website. It is my belief that the litigants should have easy access to the rules of the court. I am also proud to say that I was one of three Judges to participate in the Dallas County Criminal Court rules committee, which created the first formal written court rules since the 1980s.
II. Service Atmosphere and Efficiency
From day one, I have worked very hard at improving the demeanor and morale of the court. I have impressed upon the court's 14 staff members that they are important individuals in our court family. I strongly emphasize unity, respect and politeness. Every individual who comes into contact with court personnel is treated with dignity, respect and outright friendliness. The court is an accessible, service-oriented place for attorneys, police, victims or defendants.
We are a very busy court. I have tried over 120 jury trials and nearly the same number of trials-before-the-court in the last two years. Comparatively, the former judge tried fewer than 120 jury trials in four years. Now, if you want your day in court you will get it within 90 days if you ask for it. We try to be efficient and minimize delays for our jurors. Also, at the end of the trial, we send a thank you note to each juror.
III. Programs to Help People and Save County Tax Dollars
When I was first elected, I wanted to change the world and develop methods to help everyone I encountered in the system. I quickly found out that I could not do this. The primary problem is the sheer number of defendants, almost 5000 a year. The second problem is that many of the people, despite avenues available to them, do not want to help themselves. Fortunately, many individuals become good probationers on their own. That leaves about 25 percent of the people who come before me that can and want to use the court's help.
What we try to do is encourage people who are being processed through the criminal justice system in a positive way to improve themselves and their lives. I personally try to make sure they all understand their obligations. We have people go through various programs, we institute interlocks and ankle bracelets, and we follow them closely, especially younger offenders. We try to alleviate any barriers that prevent their success. However, we do not coddle criminals and minimize the crime committed. The court is firm when it comes to violations of bond conditions and probation. What we are after is a balance between retribution and rehabilitation depending on the circumstances.
- Young and First-Time Offenders
One of my campaign pledges was to create more programs for younger offenders aged 17-21. I had a couple of meetings with juvenile court officers as well as adult probation officers and prosecutors to come up with a specialized program for these offenders and particularly first-time offenders. The concept was to closely supervise them to keep them from re-offending and offer ways to re-direct them in a more positive direction. These efforts have been joined by the District Attorney's "memo" program whereby defendants can agree to certain conditions in order to have their cases dismissed.
- Low-Level Offenders
Another new change is that we do not penalize a low-level offender who is in jail and cannot afford bail but wants a trial. In the past, such a person would be forced to plea his/her case just to get out of jail sooner. Today, a person in this circumstance will frequently get a personal recognizance bond and be released from jail to come back for their day in court at a later date.
- The "Road and Bridge" Program
In response to the jail over-crowding problem, this court has also reinvigorated the "road and bridge" program. This program is for the defendant who is not a good probation candidate and is going to do his sentence through jail time. It is my belief that in many circumstances, more jail time is not necessarily the most rehabilitative punishment. Jail is often the easier sentence to complete for a defendant and neither the defendant nor the county benefits much from it. Why? First of all, it costs Dallas County about $40 a day to house a prisoner, during which time the offender watches television, plays cards, sleeps and generally takes up space that is needed for a felon in the jail.
Rather than jailing the offender, the "road and bridge" program requires eight hours of work for the county, typically physical labor such as lawn work, moving furniture, painting, and the like. The labor is worth about $10 per hour to the county, or $80 per day. So the county saves $40 per day in jail expeneses and then gets $80 of labor, a net gain of $120 per day. Moreover, the jail population is not overstressed with low-level offenders. Society benefits by getting work out of the defendant and hopefully the defendant benefits from improved self-esteem because they are working rather than doing jail time.
- DWI Offenders
One of the most common and serious offenses we encounter is driving while intoxicated (DWI). These cases deserve special attention because they are numerous and dangerous to society. I believe that the court has an opportunity to minimize repeat offenses by instituting monitoring of DWI defendants. Our court requires most defendants to have interlocks (a mechanism placed on the defendant's car which prevents the car from being starting when alchohol is on the person's breath). I require an interlock when the defendant has an accident or over-the-limit blood or breathalyzer test while they are on bond or probation.
This program is not fail safe, but it is a serious attempt to address the problem. My staff and I review each DWI case to determine the necessity of the interlock. The interlock company sends reports on the violations which are all personally reviewed and acted upon by me. About 30 minutes of my time each workday is dedicated to reviewing these cases. Each defendant is told of the consequences, namely jail time, of driving without the interlock or of violations. It is a very difficult problem to manage but we are having some success at minimizing DWI offenses.
IV. Open Door Policy
Finally, I want to express to anyone reading this that I am an elected official dedicated to serving all of the citizens of Dallas County. I have an open door policy and return all of my phone calls and emails. If you have any complaints or suggestions on how to improve any part of the court, I really want to hear them. Although court-related communications cannot be accepted through this campaign website, you can contact the court by clicking here.
Sincerely,
Judge Jeff Rosenfield