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STEUBENVILLE -- Municipal Court Judge John Mascio Jr. said this week his criminal and traffic caseload is down, something he credits to how Steubenville police are handling calls as well as his staff's focus on reducing recidivism.
Mascio said his court handled roughly 2,830 cases in 2023, of which 2,190 were criminal and traffic.
"To put these numbers in perspective, our caseload is down on the criminal-traffic side of things by 1,620 cases from five years ago," he said in his annual report. "I attribute the decrease in caseload to be due to the fact that police are doing a very good job of de-escalating situations rather than simply making arrests, and the court has done a very good job of directing people into mental health, drug and alcohol treatment, assisting with GEDs and driver's licenses, housing and any other needs that a probationer may have. In other words, we have gone from a system of incarceration to a more holistic approach to addressing recidivism. Probation plans are no longer general but are tailored toward the needs of the probationer."
He said most probation department employee wages are paid with grant funds, which he said the court has aggressively pursued. He pointed out their entire Mental Health Court is funded through grant funding.
"The court continues to do very well financially," he added. "After factoring receipts and disbursements for civil and criminal cases the court finished in the black (by) $11,175, which is, quite frankly, extraordinary."
Before he took office the court operated at a yearly deficit of $20,000 or more, he said.
"We are now utilizing the services of the Ohio Attorney General, in part, to help us in our collection efforts. In 2023 we received $36,231 in state tax refunds -- this was up from $22,620 the year before," he said.
"These have historically been the hardest accounts to collect and are referred after all other collection efforts fail, including the opportunity to work unpaid fines and costs off through community service," he said. "Driver's license and vehicle registration blocks have proven to be very effective, as have realistic payment plans that people of low income can afford."
Also of note:
• Mascio reports jail costs were $102,050 in 2023, up about $16,000 from the year before. Mascio said the sharp increase is "indicative of the fact that we have many in jail for non-compliance with probation terms."
"It is worth noting that just 10 years ago jail costs averaged $120,000 annually,"
Mascio said. "Our five-year average between 2018 and 2022 is $87,500. House arrest and community service are preferred to jail, especially for lower level, nonviolent offenders. We recognize that incarceration causes people to lose employment, housing, and health care. Unfortunately, much of our crime comes from residents of other states and counties and oftentimes the court has no choice but to incarcerate these offenders. Likewise, when probationers do not fulfill their obligations the court is left with no option other than incarceration."
• He said in 2023, 36 offenders served a total of 1,031 days of house arrest with electronic monitoring, pointing out it costs about $65 per day to house a prisoner in jail. He said house arrest saved the city about $67,000 in terms of jail costs.
• Mascio said 562 individuals were referred to the Community Service Program in 2023, with 453 -- or 81 percent -- participating. Those that participated performed 2,614.5 hours of community service, touching every ward of the city.
• Court-appointed counsel fees were $36,742. He said the court is typically no longer appointing counsel to represent indigents on low-level misdemeanor, non-violent offenses. As a result of this and a decreased case load, appointed counsel fees have dropped significantly from the $62,741 the court paid out five years ago.
"We will continue to try and improve our operations, but I could not be happier with the direction of the court at this time," he said. "I would be remiss if I did not recognize and thank the dedication of our employees as they do an excellent job for both the court and the taxpayers."
Mascio said during his tenure as judge, "I have done my best, with the help of staff and judicial associations of which I am a member, to identify practices that are either out of date or not working and make the necessary changes to always move the court forward in a positive way."
He said he's "very excited" that much-needed upgrades to court facilities are in the pipeline, and thanked City Council for moving forward with the project.
"Steubenville is the county seat of Jefferson County, and its facilities should reflect that status," he said. "For far too long taxpayer assets have been left to deteriorate and employees have worked in poor conditions. I look for these upgrades to have a positive effect on employee morale and reflect that Steubenville is the county seat of Jefferson County. Not everyone who comes to the court complex is a criminal and the courtroom also serves as Council Chambers. The appearance of our facilities is oftentimes the first and lasting impression that visitors have of our city."