Solicitor requests budget hike to speed up slow justice system
BEAUFORT, S.C. (WSAV) — The 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office is asking Beaufort County to double its budget next year.
While it seems to be a significant change, Solicitor Duffie Stone told WSAV that it could be a game changer for the area and the court system.
'You have to have the resources to carry out the process. and we have about half of the resources we need to finish the job,' said Stone.
Solicitor Duffie Stone's job is to protect victims and prosecute criminals but that process has been slow since before the COVID Pandemic.
The office currently has more than 3,800 active cases, the majority of which are nearly two years old. That's why he is asking Beaufort County Council for $1.7 million dollars more in the next budget. The money goes to hiring more lawyers and getting the system moving faster.
'I want one day to be able to stand in front of the jury and say, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to tell you what happened several months ago instead of what happened two years ago,' said Stone.
That's why he is asking Beaufort County Council for $1.7 million dollars more in the next budget. The money will go to hiring more lawyers and getting the system moving faster.
'It's not unusual at all for prosecutors to be carrying a caseload of three, four and 500 cases apiece.'
Stone instituted a system for the cases coming into his office that works. 70% of those cases have been cleared within a year. To knock down that backlog, more people are needed and more money to keep the attorneys in place who know how to prosecute those cases.
'You've got to give them a living salary, a salary that allows them to raise a family and send kids to college. number two, to give them a job in which it's fulfilling,' Stone said. 'It's something that's important that they enjoy but in which they are not overwhelmed.'
Beaufort County has appropriated $5 less than the state average per case. Stone says the money he is asking for would go directly to public defenders and prosecutors directly to trying to clear cases.
'This is an opportunity for us to create an efficient process and a court system in which victims have a speedy trial or speedy disposition of their case,' said Stone. 'I think victims deserve that.'
Jasper County has already listened to the solicitor's request and increased their cost per warrant, and the Colleton County Council is expected to do the same in the next few weeks.
The Beaufort County Council is debating all budget requests now and the public should know more early next month.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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