The Judicial Branch News

Volume 6, Issue 9

In this Issue

Court Hires MultimediaJournalist............................2

Librarian Picked forSummit................................3

EmployeeAnniversaries.......................6

NAD VolunteersNeeded...............................8

The Judicial Branch News is anonline newsletter published bythe Media Relations andCommunity OutreachDepartment.

If you wish to contribute to thisnewsletter, please sendarticles, news items, photos orother correspondence to:karra@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov.

September 2011

“Equal Justice Under Law”

Restitution Court Among2011 NACo Awards

Restitution enforcement court is one of seven Superior Court programsthat won an award from the National Association of Counties.

Restitution court is a victim-centered approach to restitution collection thatholds probationers, who are way behind in restitution payment, accountable.

If a probationer is in contempt by not making payments, a judge may imposejail time for nonpayment. Restitution court has collected more than$500,000. It also has saved Maricopa County from the more costly probationrevocation process.

The 2011 NACo award recipients include: Probation Re-entry Initiative,Juvenile Court Guide Program, Juvenile Court Community Services Unit,Remote Interpreter Program, Backlog FARE and Improving Safety throughapprehension of drug-related offenders.

Photos of 2011 NACo Awards on Page 4 and 5

Page 2September 2011

News and Notes

Court SecurityCeremony

Superior Court HiresMultimedia Journalist

Presiding Judge Norman Davis set a new first for the Courtwhen he hired Multimedia Journalist Kelly Vail.

Superior Court is one of the first court systems to hire amulti-media journalist to reach out to the community viasocial media. To assist Kelly, Superior Court employedintern Liz Kotalik from Arizona State University’s WalterCronkite School of Journalism. Both positions will workwith Media Relations Director Karen Arra and PublicInformation Officer Vincent Funari.

Kelly and Liz will be developing and producing videos aboutthe court system. The videos will be uploaded to SuperiorCourt’s website and social media sites.

Kelly has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Cal StateNorthridge. While in school, she learned how to shoot,edit, write, report and produce.

After graduation, Kelly began working for the Fox affiliatein Fresno, California as a photographer. She spent fouryears in the Fresno area before being hired by KPHOChannel 5 in Phoenix.

Liz is a senior at ASU. She has volunteered at Channel 99in Phoenix where she edited, produced, filmed andperformed stand-ups. She also has a rich background incommunity service, leadership and acting.

To check out the Superior Court AZ YouTube channelgo to: www.youtube.com (Superior Court AZ)

Kelly Vail interviews Liz Kotalik during a shoot inside the OldCourthouse

Presiding Judge Norman Davis, (left) SecurityDirector Edward DeCoste (center) and CourtAdministrator Marcus Reinkensmeyer (right) posewith security personnel following a officer graduationceremony at Table One.

Presiding Judge Norman Davis (left) and OfficerBrian Jacobsen (right). Officer Jacobsen was oneof several officers to complete the security officertraining academy.

Page 3September 2011

News and Notes

Law Librarian Selected for Summit

Phil Knox NamedNACM Committee Chair

Law librarians from the around the country will meet in Oak Brook, Illinois in November to discuss thefuture of law librarianship in the 21st Century.

Among those in attendance will be Superior Court’s Jennifer Murray who was one of 25 librariansselected from more than 5000 librarians nationwide.

“I’m proud of Jennifer. This is a real honor for her and the Court,” said Deputy Court Administrator KarenWestover.

The American Association of Law Librarians (AALL) Futures Summit is designed to generatediscussions about the future of AALL and of law librarianship. Attendees will work together to envisionthe future by exploring various questions including: “What will the profession look like in 21st CenturyAmerica?”; “What will AALL members need to thrive as law librarians in the future and what will be theformula for success?”; and “How can AALL engage its newer members in planning for this future?”

The Summit will be held November 3-4, 2011 at the Lodge in Oak Brook, Illinois.

The National Association for Court Management(NAM) has appointed Phil Knox, GeneralJurisdiction Courts Administrator, as chairman ofthe association’s Publications Committee.

This is a highly responsible chairmanship, withduties that include oversight of key nationalpublications on court administration and courtsystem improvements, including:

The Court Manager, a quarterly journal thatincludes articles pertinent to court administrators,clerks of court and judicial leadership; themonthly electronic Court Express; and the timely,single-focus Mini Guides, which have touched on topics as diverseas Achieving and Sustaining the Green Court (2009); Court SecurityGuide (2005); Developing Comprehensive Public InformationPrograms for Courts (1996); and Court Administrator: A Manual(2011).

Phil Knox

Superior Court hired CandaceAtkinson as its new JuryAdministrator. Before coming toMaricopa County, Atkinson wasJury Administrator for the U.S.District Court for the NorthernDistrict of Florida in Tallahassee.Prior to her work at the FederalCourt, she was CourtAdministrator for the GreeleyMunicipal Court in Colorado.

Atkinson received both herBachelor’s and Master’s degreesfrom Regis University, graduatingwith honors.

She will begin with the Court onSeptember 27th.

Court Hires JuryAdministrator

Page 4September 2011

2011 NACo Awards

Remote InterpreterProgram

Backlog FARE

Probation Re-entry Initiative

The remote interpreter program allows thecourt to provide an interpreter to over 25courtrooms throughout Maricopa Countyin all areas of the law from a remotelocation. The program has increased theinterpreters’ productivity, provided a meansto satisfy the increasing demands, andimproved the utilization of resources.

Backlog FARE addresses the need tocollect monies owed to the justicecourts that have been uncollected. Theprogram also makes it easier forcitizens to pay monies they owe.Backlog FARE utilizes thetransmission of electronic case andfinancial data between theadministrative office of the courts,motor vehicle department and statecourts to ensure applicable obligationsare met and have increased collectionsfrom about $300,000 to $500,000 permonth.

Over 100 offenders per month arereleased from prison with a consecutiveprobation sentence in Maricopa County.A specialized re-entry unit implementeda new supervision model, collaboratedclosely with the Arizona Department ofCorrections and community-basedservice providers, and dramaticallyimproved the re-entry process,achieving noteworthy reductions inrecidivism.

September 2011 Page 5

2011 NACo awards

Improving Safety through Apprehension of drug-related offenders

Juvenile Court Community Services Unit

Juvenile Court Guide ProgramThe juvenile court guide program wasestablished in 2006. The court guidesare known as the “ambassadors” of thecourt and are available to communitymembers attempting to navigate thejuvenile court system. Guides areusually the first point of contact for thepublic who come to court with questionsregarding juvenile guardianship,emancipations, and dependencies.Juvenile court guides are also availableto review documents and to ensure thatthe public understands court process.

The adult probation departmentsecured stimulus funding to save fivesurveillance officer jobs and tocombat narcotics-related crime byapprehending individuals with drug-related probation warrants. The fiveofficers collaborated with local lawenforcement and exceeded projectgoals. Over 1,900 probationers withdrug-related warrants wereapprehended in less than two years.

The community services unit began developmentin 2006 with the establishment of the juvenile courtguide program. Over the next several years, theCSU became fully formed with the collaboration ofinternal and external partners. The CSU iscomposed of representatives from child welfare,behavioral health, court conciliators, court guides,and early intervention staff. Additional collaborativepartners include: court operations, and volunteerlawyers and law students. The CSU is available tothe public as a “one stop shop” for information,referral services, and limited free legal advice.

Page 6September 2011

Employee Anniversaries

5 Years 10 Years

15 Years

20 Years25 Years

30 Years

McKenzie Hold-Synk Adult Probation OfficerAaron Peterson Adult Probation OfficerDonald Rogan Adult Probation Officer

Rebecca Rowland Adult Probation OfficerSusan Stewart Adult Probation OfficerScott Stoffel Adult Probation Officer

Catherine Vasquez Adult Probation OfficerAnnie Cox Judicial Clerk Senior

William Stephen Juvenile Detention OfficerOtilia Santos Office Assistant Specialized

Michael Whitaker BailiffBert Binder Electronic Courtrooms Administrator

Susan Hutcheson Judicial ClerkJulie Jacoba Adult Probation Officer

Andrew Baiza BailiffTiffany Fotos Bailiff

Lori Britton Judicial AssistantChristopher Kraus Judicial Assistant-Classified

Carol Ruelas Judicial ClerkPamela Harmon Judicial Clerk Associate

Viorel Vrancea Programmer/AnalystCorrine Cox Bailiff

Rene Blake Presentence ScreenerMary Ramirez Judicial Financial Clerk

Veronica Roman Judicial Clerk AssociateShareef Muhammad CounselorDonna Jones Judicial Assistant

Beatrice Moreno Judicial Clerk LeadOrlanda Carr Payroll Representative

Lilly Quiroz Judicial Clerk SeniorStephanie Ross Judicial Specialist

Gerald Anderson Administrative AssistantDeanna Baker Adult Probation OfficerKaren Crofford Adult Probation Officer

Jason Hatchcock Adult Probation OfficerPaul McDonald Adult Probation OfficerPhyllis Parham Adult Probation OfficerConsuelo Perez Adult Probation Officer

Eva Smith Judicial Clerk SeniorElisa Velasquez Judicial Clerk Senior

Mario Figueroa Juvenile Detention Officer

Gracie Hernandez Judicial Clerk LeadGrace Ku-Richards Juv Probation Div Managr

Michael Garcia Juvenile Probation Officer

Lydia Navarro Judicial Clerk SupervisorDeborah Johnson Bus Syst Analyst, Sr

Jennifer Stadler BailiffHerbert Quezada Juvenile Probation Officer

September 2011 Page 7

News and Notes

A Court’s Remarkable Recoveryfrom a Capital Case Crisis

Three Superior Court Judicial Officers, Judge Robert Gottsfield, JudgeDouglas Rayes and Commissioner Patricia Starr, co-authored a story thatwill soon be published in the State Bar’s Arizona Attorney Magazine.

The full article is expected to run in the November issue of the ArizonaAttorney magazine.

Below is an excerpt from the story:

Faced with the daunting task of managing more than twice the numberof active capital cases than the Maricopa County Superior Court hadtraditionally experienced, the court designed a capital casemanagement system and dedicated considerable resources. Oncethe Court’s redesigned capital case management system was upand running the Court became increasingly efficient at processingand trying capital cases. The record number of capital cases thathave been resolved the past three years (148), is one indication ofthe Court’s capital case efficiency. The court’s strict trial continuancepolicy, consistent with the criminal rules, cut delays significantly. Thechallenge for the Court in the future will be to maintain consistency,avoid unnecessary delays, and continue to ensure a fair process forall parties.

For the past three years, Courtroom Clerk RobinTomlinson has prepared the hearing minute entries forthe Gila River Adjudication. She showed great interestin the proceedings, took good notes, and was prompt.

Robin told us, “Having the opportunity to be a part ofthese hearings sparked many a lively conversation withmy closest friends, many of whom had not reallystopped to consider the implications of water rights,where they might originate, and how difficult it mightbe to find a way to fairly and equitably divide thoserights.” Thank you for your assistance and commitment.

Watermaster Thanks Clerk

New Judge Appointed

The Governorappointed CourtC o m m i s s i o n e rCindy Bailey as aJudge on theMaricopa CountySuperior CourtBench.

Prior to herappointment, Judge Bailey servedas a Commissioner in the criminalcourt division. Before joining theCourt, she spent five years with theCivil and Criminal Divisions at theMaricopa County Attorney’s Office.Her state government employmentincludes service as the Arizona StateSenate’s Rules Attorney andJudiciary Committee Analyst . Shealso worked at Kimerer & Derrick,PC; Fromm, Smith & Gadow; BaileyLaw Offices, PLC and the GrantCounty Prosecutor ’s Office inMarion, Indiana. She graduated fromArizona State University in 1988,completing her law degree from ASUin 1992.

She fills the vacancy created by theretirement of Judge Gary Donahoe.

Cindy Bailey

Adult Probation ChiefHonored

Adult Probation Chief Barbara Broderick (Right) isthe 2011 winner of the National Association ofProbation Executives’ Dan Richard Beto Award.Broderick accepted the award from NAPEPresident Ellen Brokofsky (Left). Submitted by Special Water Master George Schade

Page 8September 2011

Volunteers Needed for NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY on Saturday,November 19, 2011

Be a part of this nationwide event – the Maricopa County eventhas been the largest in the nation for the last three years.

To volunteer, please send an email expressing your interest to:

traherj@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov no later than October 14th.

Adoption Day Seeks Volunteers