Guest Speaker: Robbin Stuckert

 

Every day, the Hon. Robbin Stuckert faces a bond call in her courtroom and has just a few minutes to decide whether a defendant is eligible for bond, and what it should be set at.  She says judges often have little to go on when making these decisions...but DeKalb County is taking steps to help out, and bond reform across the country could assist further.

 

Stuckert is a former member of the Sycamore Rotary Club, and in December will begin service as chief judge for the 23rd Circuit.  She told Rotarians that personnel from Court Services now take time to test and interview each defendant, and assess how much of a risk they pose; this, along with mandated procedures that all judges follow, help her to decide how to fairly set bond...balancing the defendant's rights with the safety of the community.

 

She notes that an individual's economic situation can vary; persons with means can usually afford 10% of a $100,000 bond, while poorer suspects may stay in custody because they can't come up with $500 on a $5,000 bond.  And those who stay in custody suffer loss of employment, housing and family, with devastating effects on their loved ones -- and that's while the presumption of innocence is in effect.  And she says that studies have demonstrated that there's no correlation between how much a defendant can pay to meet bond, and the likelihood that they'll show up in court.

 

Judge Stuckert also discussed plans for the county's drug rehabilitation home for men; right now, the county has had to hire an architect to determine whether the house is ADA compliant...and will examine that architect's report, to determine what changes if any will be needed before the house can be put to use.