In this file photo, Judge Robert Moon sits in his courtroom.After a 90-day evaluation of Hamilton County’s court-ordered community corrections work assignments, county leaders and judges decided Wednesday to make no immediate changes to the program.
In May, the county moved its Community Corrections Office — which manages the program for those given community service as punishment — from downtown Chattanooga to a Red Bank location that’s not on a bus line. The move prompted General Sessions Criminal Court judges to raise concerns that offenders who lack transportation to the facility might successfully seek reversals of their convictions because of a lack of due process.
The County Commission and Judges David Bales, Clarence Shattuck and Robert Moon agreed to monitor the issue for 90 days to see how many offenders failed to report as scheduled. The study showed that 153 out of 3,505, about 4 percent, failed to appear.
“I think it’s manageable and I think we have a handle on it,” Moon said.
Last month, the judges met with District Attorney General Bill Cox to create a process for verifying transportation problems for offenders.