Judge Ronald B. Adrine Continues Leadership Role on the Cleveland Municipal Court

Dec 12, 2016

(Cleveland, Ohio) – The Honorable Ronald B. Adrine will serve his final year on the bench as the Administrative and Presiding Judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. He retires at the end of next year, following 36 years of service. This is the ninth year in a row that Adrine has held the two positions since first being selected to lead the bench in December of 2008. As such, he continues to be responsible for overseeing the business and direction of the court.

Contact: Ed Ferenc, Public Information Officer
Cleveland Municipal Court
216 664 6787 / 216 789 2597
[email protected]     www.cmcoh.org

(Cleveland, Ohio) – The Honorable Ronald B. Adrine will serve his final year on the bench as the Administrative and Presiding Judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. He retires at the end of next year, following 36 years of service. This is the ninth year in a row that Adrine has held the two positions since first being selected to lead the bench in December of 2008. As such, he continues to be responsible for overseeing the business and direction of the court.

Over the past year, Judge Adrine has also taken a lead in the debate on bail bond reform. He gained unanimous approval of his colleagues for the amendment of the court’s local rules to eliminate the unnecessary incarceration of low-risk, lower-income people charged with non-violent offenses. This December 6th, the Court announced a Memorandum of Understanding with the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to implement their Public Safety Assessment (PSA), a data-driven risk assessment tool that provides objective information that judges can consider when deciding whether to release or detain a defendant prior to trial.

“The Constitution requires that those who can be safely released be at liberty while they await their court dates—that is if we can accurately determine who they are,” said Judge Adrine, who hopes to have the tool in operation by the middle of 2017. “I’m hopeful that by using the PSA, we will be able to make better, evidence-based bail decisions that bolster public safety and ensure that only those who pose a significant risk are detained in jail before trial,” he said.

Under Judge Adrine’s leadership, the Court has created or continued programs that serve as effective alternatives to incarceration. Four of them, the Greater Cleveland Drug Court; the Veterans Treatment Docket; the Mental Health Docket and the Human Trafficking Docket are certified as specialized dockets by the Supreme Court of Ohio.

“This court’s goal continues to be to show those facing criminal justice sanctions that the system not only imposes punishment but also presents opportunity to those who are ready to reform, through the positive, life-changing experiences that programs like these can offer.”

The Cleveland Municipal Court has jurisdiction in misdemeanor cases where the maximum sentence does not exceed one year in jail and/or a fine of not more than $1,000, the initial appearances of those charged with felony offenses committed within its jurisdiction, small claims not exceeding $6,000 and civil disputes that can range as high as $15,000.

A life-long resident of Cleveland, Judge Adrine was elected to the Cleveland Municipal Court in 1981 and was re-elected five times without opposition.