Overview
Chapter 211B of the Massachusetts General Laws established the Superior Court Department (SCD). According to SCD’s website,
The Superior Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Massachusetts, is committed to delivering high quality justice in a timely and fair manner in accordance with the rule of law. The court's 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 counties of the Commonwealth. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $25,000 and in matters where equitable relief is sought. We also have original jurisdiction in actions including labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, have exclusive authority to convene medical malpractice tribunals, have appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative proceedings, and may hold sittings for naturalization in any city or town. We have exclusive original jurisdiction of first-degree murder cases and original jurisdiction of all other crimes.
SCD has established 14 divisions, each with a specific territorial jurisdiction, to preside over matters that are brought before the court. Each division’s organizational structure consists of two main offices: the Clerk of Courts’ Office (the Clerk’s Office), headed by a Clerk of Courts who is an elected official, and the Probation Office, headed by a Chief Probation Officer. The Clerk of Courts and the Chief Probation Officer are responsible for the internal administration of their respective offices.
The Bristol County Division of the Superior Court Department (BCSC) presides over civil and criminal matters falling within its territorial jurisdiction of Bristol County. BCSC is responsible for scheduling, holding, and recording proceedings in civil and criminal matters and for the care and custody of all the records, books, and papers that pertain to, or are filed or deposited in, the Clerk’s Office.
During the audit period, July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2018, BCSC collected $784,539 of civil fees and criminal monetary assessments and transmitted them to the Office of the State Treasurer as either general or specific state revenue, as shown in the following table.
|
Revenue Type |
Amount of State Revenue Collected and Transmitted |
|---|---|
|
General Revenue |
$556,490 |
|
Probation Fees |
185,136 |
|
Victim/Witness Fund* |
16,721 |
|
Surcharges* |
22,291 |
|
Drug Analysis Fund* |
3,850 |
|
Other |
51 |
|
Total |
$784,539 |
* For definitions of these types of revenue, see the Appendix.
| Date published: | January 16, 2020 |
|---|