A lot has been said about the effects of the budget cuts known as sequestration on the courts and the U.S. Department of Justice. Hiring freezes, layoffs, furloughs and a drop off in mental health and substance abuse treatment for recently released convicts are just a few stresses on the system. The government shutdown didn’t help any.
But for the average American, the cuts in the justice system may seem a little abstract. The chief federal trial judge and the top prosecutor in New York’s Southern District, which includes Manhattan, say they are anything but.
