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Findings and Recommendations 1 findings
F1
The 2023–2024 Grand Jury finds that all of Marin County’s public agencies satisfied their legal obligations to respond to reports from the 2022-2023 Grand Jury.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
By November 1, 2023, the Marin County Board of Supervisors should request the Marin County Administrator to hire an independent consultant who reports to the County Administrator's Office to analyze operations of the District Attorney’s Office with the following objectives: reducing the overwhelming caseloads of deputy district attorneys, facilitating timely production of discovery materials, implementing early evaluation of cases to promote plea negotiations, improving office morale, and updating the case management system. ● The Board of Supervisors responded that this recommendation will be implemented.
Additional Recommendations 7
These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.
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R2By December 1, 2023, the District Attorney’s Office should hire two or more highly experienced former deputy district attorneys on short term (6 - 12 mos.) contracts whose sole responsibility would be to reduce the backlog of cases through plea negotiations, starting with the longest pending cases. ● The District Attorney responded that this recommendation has been implemented. ● The Board of Supervisors responded that this recommendation needs further analysis because there is approximately $750,000 available for short-term staffing in this year's budget.
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R3Once the caseload has been significantly reduced, the District Attorney’s Office should hire experienced deputy district attorneys to maintain caseloads at a manageable level. ● The District Attorney responded that this recommendation has been implemented. ● The Board of Supervisors responded that this recommendation needs further analysis. The County Administrator's Office will continue to work with the District Attorney to review and budget for appropriate staffing levels with the goal of maintaining caseloads at a manageable level.
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R4By December 1, 2023, the District Attorney’s Office should implement a new process to provide discovery materials (e.g., police report, defendant’s criminal history, and camera footage) to defense counsel within a reasonable time of arraignment. ● The District Attorney and the Board of Supervisors responded that this recommendation has been implemented.
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R5By December 1, 2023, the District Attorney’s Office should institute a position, such as an expediter, that is primarily responsible for facilitating plea negotiations in misdemeanor cases. ● The District Attorney and the Board of Supervisors responded that this recommendation has been implemented.
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R6By October 1, 2023, the District Attorney’s Office should hire paralegals to assist attorneys with discovery, witness coordination, and trial preparation. ● The District Attorney responded that this recommendation will be implemented. ● The Board of Supervisors responded that this recommendation needs further analysis based on the results of an independent review by an outside expert to examine this issue and provide recommendations.
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R7By November 1, 2023, the District Attorney’s Office should commence providing a quarterly update and statistical report to the Board of Supervisors and the County Administrator’s Office on its progress to reduce the backlog of criminal cases. ● The District Attorney and the Board of Supervisors responded that this recommendation will be implemented.
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R8By October 1, 2023, people in custody who are awaiting trial should be granted more accommodations than inmates who have been convicted. Possible accommodations include, where appropriate, contact visits with family, utilization of technology (e.g., tablets) within their cells, and contact visits with defense counsel. ● The Board of Supervisors responded that this recommendation needs further analysis as this recommendation is within the purview of the Sheriff. ● The Marin County Sheriff responded that the County Jail does not have the space or adequate staffing to conduct these visits and ensure the safety of staff, incarcerated persons, and those visiting. The Coming Wave of Older Adults — Is Marin Prepared? Released on May 30, 2023 The 2022-2023 Grand Jury’s