PUEBLO COUNTY — The 10th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Pueblo County says it is working with 40% less prosecuting staff due to hiring shortages since 2020.
District Attorney Jeff Chostner said the staffing shortage has led to a backlog in cases for his office.
"All of law enforcement has faced this since the summer of 2020. So it kind of hit rock bottom in 2021, early 2022," he said.
District Attorney Chostner is hopeful for a light at the end of the tunnel with a new two-month summer internship program started by his office this year. The program is offered to second-year law students from across the country. Chostner said the goal is to give interns real-world experience while they help attorneys manage heavy caseloads.
"The overall caseload is about 180 [cases per month.] So if you're down 40% of your staff, that average caseload is going to go up markedly. So these folks coming in really help keep that caseload for our full-time attorneys here at a more manageable level," he said.
The five interns that are part of the program are able to appear in court with the supervision of other licensed attorneys. Chostner said his office's internship program is different than most because it offers interns full-time pay with benefits during the two months.
Sam Hill is a law student at the University of Mississippi and is one of the five interns in the program. He said he has received valuable experience from the program that is necessary before he graduates law school.
"Compared to my internship last summer, it's a lot more hands-on," he said. "I just came out of a homicide trial today and got to watch the opening arguments. So just that level of exposure is, I think, it's pretty rare for a lot of people in this position."
Courtney Mascarenas is a Pueblo native and attends Creighton University. She is an intern for the program this summer and said she is hopeful it will alleviate shortages within the office.
"I do believe this program will be the star of cutting off that shortage and getting more people here to work," she said.
Chostner said in addition to the internship program, the county has made efforts to hire more prosecutors by increasing pay. He said Pueblo County Commissioners have approved a cumulative 18% pay increase for attorneys since 2020.
Chostner said his plan is to continue the internship program each summer. He said each year the office will reevaluate the number of interns needed based on their staff.
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