Criminal Cases Rarely Reach Trail

FOR GIVING HUSBAND · 08-09-2006, 03:33 PM

Oklahoma County Criminal Cases Rarely Reach Trial

IN OKLAHOMA CITY Of the more than 12,000 felony and misdemeanor criminal charges filed in Oklahoma County District Court during the last judicial session, only 164 cases went to trial,

Criminal justice experts said more than 90 percent of cases in Oklahoma county courts and courts across the country end with plea bargains, where a defendant makes a deal with prosecutors to avoid trial.

``The reality is: No jurisdiction anywhere is set up such that they could actually go to jury trial with every single case,'' Oklahoma County District Attorney Wes Lane said. ``There's just not enough resources, judges, prosecutors and staff to do that.''

WES Lane DA OF OKLAHOMA figures his $8 million annual budget would have to be about $80 million without plea deals.

Plea bargains help save taxpayer dollars, moving people through the justice system, the attorneys claim.

THIS STATEMENT MAKES IT SOUND MORE LIKE THEIR HERDING CATTLE IN THE OLD WEST RATHER THAN A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

``Every case that you dispose of means that you're not having to subpoena in police officers, which means that a police department is not having to pay overtime,''

SO IN OTHER WORDS THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE ARE NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY STAY UNDER BUDGET AND DON'T HAVE TO PROVIDE OVER TIME. THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SEEING IF THE ONES THEY ARREST ARE REALLY GUILTY.

THIS IS FROM SOMEONE WHO HAD NO PROBLEM TRYING PERSON ALREADY FACING LIFE IN JAIL AT A VERY GREAT EXPENSE TO THE PUBLIC FOR WHICH HE IS SWORN TO PROTECT. THIS MONEY COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER SPENT IN PROTECTION OF THOSE HE SERVES THESE STORIES JUST DON'T MATCH UP. I MIGHT ADD THE CASE ENDED UP IN A PLEA BERGIN.

The OHP is facing a big problem. Within the next two years, the OHP will lose 119 troopers, and possibly more.
"There is no way to replace 120 troopers," said OHP Public Information Officer Trooper Pete Norwood.
But that doesn't mean they're not going to try.
Trooper training academies are being held this year, something budget cutbacks had done away with in many departments.

I rest my case

**Midtowner** · 08-09-2006, 03:44 PM

Nationwide, far less than 1% of cases go to trial.

For those 12,000 cases, we have around 20 judges. A criminal trial can sometimes take up several days. Do the math -- our justice system from the prosecutors to the number of judges in the court house simply cannot handle that many cases.

Exactly what are you proposing we do? Spend millions more on judges, court rooms, prosecutors? And for what?

FOR GIVING HUSBAND · 08-10-2006, 12:29 AM

By stopping the revolving door in our court syatem.
By stopping some of the antics allow to go on in our court rooms .
stop re trying cases that have already been tired wasting several million dollars because some one did not like the out come.