Judge Zayas on problem-solving courts and diversion opportunities
Zayas highlights the importance of efficiency for problem-solving courts providing diversion for substance use, mental health, human trafficking victims, adolescents, veterans, and others, noting faster engagement improves intervention effectiveness.
Allowing criminal cases to proceed at a pace that lacks an appropriate sense of urgency results in a loss of confidence in the court system's ability to do its job.
When, for example, there is a murder in one of our communities,
and someone is arrested, it should not take two or three years for the case to be resolved.
Witnesses, affected neighborhoods, and the families of victims deserve better.
So too do the individuals who are charged.
Efficiency is not just
essential for cases that are resolved in the traditional ways, either with a bail bargain, a plea bargain, I'm sorry, or a trial.
It is also critically important to the efficacy of our problem-solving courts, which provide diversion opportunities for individuals with substance use disorders, mental health issues, victims of
human trafficking, adolescents, and emerging adults, veterans, and others.
It should go without saying that the faster we engage these individuals with the services and treatments they need, the more likely these interventions are able to be effective.