Are Violent Offenders Beating the Criminal Justice System? - Page 2
In another previous post on Crime in America.Net, they cited a related article from the Philadelphia Inquirer. They stated that Philadelphia is an example of how justice can get bogged down to such a degree as to have an impact on an entire metropolitan area.
The Inquirer cites a considerable number of data sources indicating that, “Philadelphia defendants walk free on all charges in nearly two-thirds of violent-crime cases. Among large urban counties, Philadelphia has the nation’s lowest felony-conviction rate.”
Budget cuts are rearranging the way we do business. The criminal justice system is changing before our eyes through a budget reduction process lasting for a decade or more.
So when you hear that the justice system is this heavy-handed semi-brutal series of organizations that ruthlessly goes after and incarcerates too many people, the assertion rings a bit hollow for many of us.
To us, the system is barely holding on in many cities. To us, we see problems far more than efficiencies.
We “may” arrest too much and we “may” incarcerate inappropriately, but to do that you have to catch them (most crime is not reported) and you have to successfully prosecute them.
And our ability to do both seems to be on the decline in more than a couple areas in this country. If we were honest about it; it’s been in decline for over a decade.
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