District to take over county courts

Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas is no longer in the court management business.

The county’s district court is in the process of taking over administration of the county’s drug, DUI and mental health courts, in which offenders voluntarily agree to complete rehabilitation programs in lieu of jail time.

The shift brings Kootenai County into conformity with the rest of the state, said Kootenai County Magistrate Gene Marano. Drug courts in all other Idaho counties are run by the district courts, not the prosecutor’s office.

“It probably should have started out this way, but we never got around to it,” Marano said. “It’s overdue.”

Removing these specialty courts from Douglas’ office has little to do with the recent demise of the county’s fourth specialty court – a juvenile drug court, Marano said.

“The JET Court situation reminded us we should have done this quite a long time ago,” Marano said.

The Juvenile Education and Training Court came to an abrupt end in February when 1st District Judge Benjamin Simpson quit as supervising judge of the juvenile drug court. He cited “serious concerns about ongoing personnel problems and legal issues.”

That prompted the Kootenai County Commission to investigate the management and finances of the failed court. Ultimately, JET Court Administrator Marina Kalani, who was hired by Douglas, voluntarily resigned and was paid a nearly $70,000 settlement from the county’s insurance provision. The reason for the settlement has not been disclosed by the county or the insurer.

Douglas said that the switch is a logical transition and that he’s working with the judges to make it a smooth transition. “I’m in total agreement with it,” he said.

Douglas has overseen the drug court since it started about seven years ago because he volunteered to administer the grant that set it up. He then agreed to take on the DUI court and, most recently, the mental health court.

The official transfer is expected to happen Oct. 1 with the beginning of the new budget year.

Commissioner Katie Brodie said that there is “nothing mysterious or hidden” about the transfer to district court. “This is really the place it should go,” she said.

Court participants shouldn’t see difference because the changes are all internal, said Marano. Among the changes:

“The district court will control the budgets for the courts.

“The courts’ four employees will move out of the prosecutor’s office as soon as a new location is found. Marano said the county might have to rent an office because both courthouses and the county administration building are full.

The county recently received an extra $25,000 from the Idaho Supreme Court that will cover the cost of rent and any other office expenses, Marano said. Money from the statewide drug court fund comes from a 2 percent surcharge on Idaho liquor sales.

Patti Tobias, Idaho’s administrative director of the courts, agrees that the management and supervision of drug courts should be with the district court.

“It’s a consistent practice across the state,” Tobias said.