Volunteer Citizen Court Watchers

This new organization now has about 30 citizen volunteers observing court procedures in all sections of Orleans Criminal Courts.

A couple of stunning observations. 70% of court room appearances (everyone present ready to go) result in continuations. Most continuances are requested by the state, about half as many are requested by defendants the rest are joint requests or court ordered.

The process is uneven. The prosecutors seem most at fault for lack of preparation and organization. The judges are uneven in their process and a few seem downright arbitrary in their findings and especially their bail rulings.

The backlog of cases is staggering and increasing. A few of the Violent Offender Unit attorneys are making some progress. There are just a handful of VOU attorneys to prosecute over 100 murders.