tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post3186991053037938408..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Corruption case shows jails becoming too full of pretrial detainees to punish offendersGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-16757987575984839512008-01-14T09:38:00.000-06:002008-01-14T09:38:00.000-06:00Forgive me. I just realized I earlier meant to sa...Forgive me. I just realized I earlier meant to say <I>docket</I> management tool.<BR/><BR/>Gee, rage . . . I must have stepped on your last nerve pretty hard. You have my permission to call me "Captain Obvious." I appreciate your hero-worship!<BR/><BR/>Now on to intelligent conversation . . .<BR/><BR/>Anon 8:02: The practice you describe - <I>waiting for our witness, Mr. Green, to show up</I> - used to happen frequently in Harris County and still is seen on occasion. Of course, if Mr. Green didn't show up for court, you could expect a defense request for continuance. Some years ago, when I discussed the practice with a friend who was a district judge in a neighboring county, he framed it as a pragmatic way to aid defense attorneys who couldn't be expected to work without pay. I didn't like hearing it, but I understood the broader sense of what he was trying to say.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-59971679963523146132008-01-12T22:06:00.000-06:002008-01-12T22:06:00.000-06:00escapefromla:Thanks for reiterating essentially th...escapefromla:<BR/><BR/>Thanks for reiterating essentially the whole point of the article. <BR/><BR/>Change your name to Captain Obvious.<BR/><BR/><BR/>8:02:<BR/><BR/>Grow up. It's not like a criminal judge would let a lawyer off from representing a client who only had trial left to go. <BR/><BR/>Not sure if you think an attorney did that to you or what, but that outstrips even my cynical nature and goes straight to ignorance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-63413040197064156202008-01-12T20:02:00.000-06:002008-01-12T20:02:00.000-06:00Having time to pay for defense can also be a doubl...Having time to pay for defense can also be a double edged sword. Crminal defense lawyers can and do delay court proceedings just long enough for the defendent to pay their fees - on the installment plan. After fees are paid, the real efforts to protect the defendent vaporize because there is no longer an incentive for the attorney.<BR/><BR/>By the time the poor accused figures out what is going on, it is too late........<BR/><BR/>More education of the public is needed before there can be any hope of justice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-64142972761154904362008-01-12T19:34:00.000-06:002008-01-12T19:34:00.000-06:00It's hardly uncommon for the courts to use pretria...It's hardly uncommon for the courts to use pretrial detention as a document management tool. And yes, it's been more apparent since 1994, as more Republicans, many of whom were current or former prosecutors, have ascended to the bench. As noted in research over the past 50 years, defendants who are detained: (1) have lesser time to disposition; (2) are more likely to be convicted; and (3) receive stiffer sentences than do defendants who are released on bond, with or without a financial component. <BR/><BR/>Detention to obtain a plea bargain may be a powerful tool, but when the tool is wielded by a judge who knowingly sets bail in an amount the defendant cannot possibly afford, the judge is no longer a disinterested third party.<BR/><BR/>I would much rather see someone who safely can be released back into the community be released at the earliest possible time on a personal bond. It makes more sense to have that defendant free to continue earning, to support his or her family and perhaps pay for defense, and to pay taxes, than it does to have him or her unnecessarily occupy a jail bed, lose a job, and become a drain on resources.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-8407971457960089842008-01-12T12:50:00.000-06:002008-01-12T12:50:00.000-06:00Detention to obtain a plea bargain is a powerful t...Detention to obtain a plea bargain is a powerful tool!<BR/><BR/>Taking away that tool would solve a lot of over crowding problems, not only in jails but also prison. Not to mention the benefits to the state budget.<BR/><BR/>Far more attention should be directed toward the abuse of plea bargains. This tool denies far too many the rights guaranteed by the constitution of the State and Federal government.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com