Reforms streamline competency court, save money

Sam Skolnik

Monday, July 16, 2007 | 7:12 a.m.

About 40 times a month, District Court hearings have to be held to determine whether criminal defendants are mentally competent to stand trial.

Under the old system, those hearings were conducted by the same judge who was presiding over the criminal case. Sometimes, defendants would sit in jail for six months waiting for a competency review from doctors.

In 2005 District Judge Jackie Glass concluded that it made more sense to have a single judge handle competency hearings, in part so defendants could receive treatment more quickly.

Now, the program sets an immediate hearing for defendants thought to be mentally incompetent. Defendants in need now sometimes start getting treatment within a week.

Glass has instituted a number of other reforms to Competency Court - a program that was recently recognized with a 2007 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties.

Glass said the idea for a streamlined court came when she noticed a backlog of people waiting to have their cases heard.

"As far as efficiency goes, there's no comparison as to the way it was and the way it is now," Glass said.

The court not only determines whether defendants need to go to the Lakes Crossing Center for the Mentally Disordered Offender in Sparks pending trial, but also whether those defendants who do end up there are then ready to come back into the system and face proceedings.

Though she didn't have exact statistics available, Glass said most defendants who appear before her are found mentally competent to stand trial.

Glass touts other features of Competency Court, the new version of which came into existence in 2006.

Under the old system the public defender's office set up the appointments with doctors to examine the defendants. Two doctors need to concur on a competency diagnosis; if they can't, a third doctor is brought in to break the tie.

Now, Glass's office handles that function as well, making the process more efficient and eliminating potential conflicts that may have come with defender s' involvement.

Further, the court now holds videoconference hearings with doctors in Sparks, saving time and money by making it unnecessary to transport doctors or defendants to and from Las Vegas for hearings.

Every two weeks, Glass said, she meets with representatives from the district attorney's office, the public defender, the Clark County Detention Center and Lakes Crossing to go over upcoming cases.

According to the Clark County Courts, the program has saved taxpayers nearly $50,000.

"Problem-solving courts flourish when surrounded by a judicial culture of innovation," said Chuck Short, the District Court's chief executive officer. "This culture, when present, can produce nationally recognized achievements."