The state of our County Courthouse is such that justice is often delayed, sometimes for more than a year. We have just two courtrooms in the whole county that are suitable to hold jury trials. On days where juror selections must be made, only one courtroom may be used, because the second is the only space large enough to hold the juror pool.
There’s also not enough space for the administrative tasks that take place at courthouses every day, for adequate record keeping, or for clerks.
The situation may have been more tenable when the current courthouse was originally completed in 1806. The courthouse was designed and built 200 years ago to meet the needs of 19th century justice. Back then, our communities were small and rural.
Today, York County is very different. Ours is the second-most populous county in the state, bested only by nearby Cumberland County. Our court’s caseload is nearly that of Cumberland County’s as well, but our judicial facilities fall woefully behind our neighbors’.
Just a few years ago, our County Courthouse’s situation was mirrored by many across our state.
As chairwoman of the Legislature Judiciary Committee, I helped kickstart the process of courthouse modernization that has led to efficient, safe, modern new courthouses such as the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor and the Capitol Judicial Center in Augusta. These facilities, would probably be unrecognizable as courthouses to our ancestors in the 19th century, but they are designed to accommodate modern day justice.
Now, it’s our turn. Recently, I submitted a bill for the upcoming session to provide funding for courthouse modernization in York County, as well as in Oxford and Waldo counties. I’m pleased to report that the bill was accepted for consideration by the bipartisan Legislative Council, and will receive a full hearing in the Maine House and Senate.
The York County Courthouse Advisory Committee, on which I also serve, has been working to develop a plan for updating justice for our communities. There are still lots of decisions to be made – such as where the new courthouse should be built – but my bill would provide the necessary funding to get it done.
This is crucial, not just to build a bigger, better, more efficient courthouse, but to ensure the safety of our friends and neighbors as they navigate the judicial system. I recently toured the new Capitol Judicial Center. There, the facility designed with safety in mind.
Consider these differences: In York County, those who make bail can be waiting in line to see a clerk while their victims are waiting in the same line to obtain a protection from abuse order. In Augusta, the facility is designed to keep perpetrator and victim at a safe distance. In York County, inmates and potentially violent defendants are marched through the main hallways en route to the courtroom. In modern facilities, dangerous people can be brought before a judge via secured corridors, away from the general public.
Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike must support efforts to preserve and strengthen the integrity of our courts. I’m confident that when presented with the facts, my colleagues in the House and Senate will pass this bill when we come back for session in January.
With a new courthouse, no one in York County will face unnecessary delays in justice or needlessly dangerous scenarios in the courthouse. That would be a victory for all of us.
— Sen. Linda Valentino of Saco, represents Senate District 31.
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