NEW TACTICS MAKE SENSE FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

Priority Set On Closing Cases, Repeat Offenders

Beaufort County citizens won in the court of common sense last week, thanks
to innovative work by the solicitor's office.

Beaufort County General Sessions Court dedicated a full court term to drug
cases -- a first for the court.

And the solicitor's office set a priority of dealing with career criminals
first.

That results in a more realistic chance for defendants to get the swift and
fair justice Americans expect. And it ultimately could result in safer
streets and neighborhoods.

With the criminal justice system strapped for money and struggling to keep
its head above a rising tide of work, the new approach also reflects a
better use of existing resources. It will take that and more to fix a
system that S.C. Chief Justice Jean Toal recently warned lawmakers needs a
serious influx of capital.

Toal told the General Assembly that the Family Court system is so
overwhelmed it's like an assembly line. Important decisions are being made
without the face-to-face discussions that should be taking place. She said
the system needs more judges, for both the Family Court and Circuit Court.
While the number of cases going to court has risen steadily, the number of
judges is the same today as it was a decade ago, she said.

Randolph Murdaugh III, solicitor of the 14th Judicial Circuit, including
Beaufort County, asks each year for more money from the county to handle
his growing load of work.

With this backdrop, it is refreshing to see Assistant Solicitor Duffie
Stone of Hilton Head Island instigate changes to cut into the backlog of
pending cases. If it helps to address a large number of drug-related cases
in a single court session, do it.

It certainly helps the general public if the courts take the cases of
repeat offenders ahead of others.

Stone said, "The real impact of drugs on Beaufort County is the violence
that follows. The fact that you get a drug dealer who's charged with a
shooting is not surprising."

Citizens, and law enforcement officers who risk their lives to step into
these violent situations, also deserve swift and fair justice from the
courts. They deserve to see a priority placed on ridding the streets of
repeat offenders whose drug activity often leads to deadly violence.

The court system is going to need more resources as long as increasing
numbers of people demand its attention. And it is going to need to be
judicious in how it moves cases. Common sense prevailed in the recent term
of General Sessions court in Beaufort.