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Michigan judge honored by MSU Pre-Law Society |
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Wednesday, 26 March 2008 |
By KELLY DANIELS
Starkville Daily News
Known as a shelter behind the bench for Michigan's most vulnerable people, the 2008 winner of Mississippi State Pre-Law Society's Distinguished Jurist Award was heralded Tuesday for her innovative approach to dealing with criminals and victims.
The 2008 Distinguished Jurist recipient, Elizabeth Pollard Hines, who has served as a district court judge in Ann Arbor, Mich., for the past 15 years, said during Tuesday's award ceremony that she had worked hard to make changes from the bottom up.
"My job may seem less glamourous to many of you, especially those of you who are considering law school, but I wouldn't change it for the world," said Hines, adding that she does best when she stays out of the headlines.
For initial hearings, Ann Arbor's district court system combines non-criminal cases with criminal ones.
"We are the ER of the court system," said Hines, who can handle 100 cases a week. "In one week I can literally go from possession of a skunk without a permit case to murder."
Hines often deals with cases that deal with the same constitutional issues that the appellate courts deal with as cases evolve, but she does not always benefit from written briefs and arguments from the counsel.
"I get the case when emotions are high, the emotions of the victim, the emotions of the offender and all the parties involved," said Hines, who sees her misdemeanor case load as an opportunity to intervene so that offender's do not end up in prison.
Problem solving courts
One of Hines' most recognized attributes is her work in keeping criminals from visiting her courtroom again and again.
As society and its laws change, the courts have to adapt, and Hines has practiced leadership in "problem solving courts," making it a reality for her own courtroom.
This fairly new idea intends to get to the root of a medical, social, emotional or mental problem that may cause someone to commit a crime.
Judges will work with local agencies, public defenders, probation officers, social workers and prosecutors in order to address underlying causes of criminal behavior in an individual and to provide treatment programs to better ensure abstaining from that behavior.
For example, Mississippi has "drug court," which focuses on rehabilitation of offenders.
"We know the old way of doing business isn't working in certain kinds of cases," said Hines. "When you lock people up without addressing their serious underlying mental health issues, drug abuse issues and other significant problems that contributed to their criminal behavior, you're going to get them back, and they are going to come back with another victim."
Careful to articulate her belief that dangerous offenders deserve jail time, Hines said that there are many low level offenses for which she can change lives and make communities safer.
Hines presides over a specialized domestic violence docket and a "homeless court."
Three years ago Hines helped create and establish "Street Outreach Court," a homeless outreach program indented to remove obstacles for housing, treatment, benefits and jobs and to reduce crime and jail overcrowding.
"Instead of giving them jail time, I can give them credit for an action plan they chose, whether it be job skills, literacy or whatever they need to get them back on their feet," said Hines. "This is better than sending them to jail or ordering fines that they will never pay and frankly would be better spent providing food for their families."
Family violence
Hines spent most of her 30 years in the legal system trying to protect women and children from violence.
"By far, the lion's share of my case load involves male defendants and female victims," said Hines. When she began her career as a prosecutor, Michigan's laws did not allow arrests of domestic violence criminals if they were not present upon the arrival of enforcement.
Policemen can now arrest with "probable cause," and studies have found that arrests reduce domestic violence, she said.
"We wanted to intervene before a misdemeanor became a murder," said Hines, adding that children are the victims she hardly ever sees. "We have pretrials and handle the cases quickly."
Hines said that that she holds the offenders accountable, but also provides an opportunity to change by sending them to a battery intervention program.
Credentials
Hines received her bachelor's degree with honors from the University of Michigan in 1974 and her juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School in 1977. She began her career as an assistant prosecutor for Washentaw County, Mich.
In 1991, the state's then governor appointed her to the Governor's Task Force on Children's Justice. She served with this group until 2004.
In 1992, she was elected as the first female district court judge in Washentaw County and served as Chief Judge of the 15th District Court from 1997-2001.
She was also appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to the Committee of Rules of Criminal Procedure to review courtroom rules used throughout Michigan.
Hines was appointed in 2007 to the Executive Committee of American Judges Association, which is the country's largest independent organization of judges.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 March 2008 )
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