RENO URGES MORE RESOURCES FOR JUDGES

ATLANTA (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno said Tuesday there is
``something magic'' about judges and they should have greater resources so
they can help stop repeat offenses and restore public confidence in the
criminal justice system.

Speaking at the American Bar Association's annual meeting, Reno said the
success of specialized drug courts shows there are ways in which judges can
be given broader authority to help make sure offenders get training and
jobs so they do not repeat their crimes.

``You say somebody else can do that. Ladies and gentlemen, there's
something magic about a judge...that black robe can make a difference,''
Reno said.

She said that from the late 1970s, the criminal justice system found itself
in the ``front line'' as crime rose and drugs increased across America.
``Crack destroyed communities and crack dealers put guns in the hands of
kids.''

Reno said children were unsupervised more often than any other time in
history and the mentally ill were turned out of institutions and forced
onto to the streets.

``They have faced human problems of dimensions barely known in history.
They faced them after institutions, family, the school, the neighborhood
have failed. The criminal justice system is at the end of the line. There
is no other place to go.''

However, she said the response to the onslaught on the criminal justice
system had been to limit judges' authority to deal with problems. But at
the same time there has been no reduction in caseloads. Federal sentencing
guidelines have raised prison terms but there are no additional resources
to deal with inmates and their return to communities.

``The offender finishes a sentence, returns to the neighborhood, has the
same problem with no resources to solve it,'' Reno said. ``They can't get a
job, they haven't finished school, they do it again and the people don't
think the criminal justice system works.''

``Let's give our courts, our judges what it takes to do justice, what it
takes to solve the human problems,'' she said.

Reno suggested that specialized courts, such as those dealing with
particular problems like drugs, domestic violence, juvenile crime and
mental illness, would help improve the system. She said there might also be
the creation of ``reentry'' courts in which judges might help oversee a
defendant's return to the community.

``Let's give our judges tools to do the job. A case load can be managed,
investigators can find out the correct situation as to what is happening at
home and make recommendations to courts for treatment and follow-up,'' she
said.

``If we use the model of drug courts and other types, if we manage our case
load, if we give judges authority, we can make a difference.''