Ky. Prosecutors Warn of Layoffs, Cases Being Dropped

Kentucky prosecutors held an emergency meeting this week and warned that further state budget cuts will significantly impact the administration of justice in the state.

"It's going to be chaos,'' Christian County Attorney Mike Foster, who is a member of the Prosecutors Advisory Council told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "It is the entire prosecutorial system for the state of Kentucky.''

The meeting came in response to a request by Gov. Steve Beshear, who asked all state entities, including prosecutors, to outline plans for a 4 percent budget cut for the rest of this fiscal year.

A cut in the commonwealth attorney budget—those attorneys prosecute felony offenses—could mean a loss of 100 people. For county attorneys in Kentucky—the prosecutors who handle drunken driving, domestic violence and child abuse and neglect cases—a cut could mean 77 layoffs.

Fewer staff will mean some cases will go unprosecuted, and others may be dismissed.

Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell pointed out in the story that during tough financial times, crime tends to rise. While prosecutors aim to help "maintain civil order," he said, if further cuts are enacted, "It's going to get ugly.''