Philadelphia Crime Plan - Arrests without Convictions?

[LakeCity]

Read this article and ask yourself what good will come from more gun laws, no matter how ingeneous they might be.

Philadelphia Inquirer Feb. 3, 2008

Tom Ferrick Jr.: Policing alone won't solve crime problem
Justice system, high dismissal rate still a scandal.

Some excerpts:

"And what will happen to those who are arrested for serious crimes - also known as felonies? They will go to the courts, first for preliminary hearings, then for a trial. And what will happen at their preliminary hearings? More than half of them will walk and go back out on the streets. According to the latest data, 54 percent of the felony cases in Philadelphia are dismissed at the preliminary-hearing stage. "

"I first reported on the city's high dismissal rate eight years ago. So it is a continuing scandal, not a new one."

"Federal studies have shown that Philadelphia has the highest dismissal rate of any of the nation's 75 largest counties - nearly double the national average of 24 percent. This is from data compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2002, the latest year available for department researchers."

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/colum...e_problem.html

The worst news is that this is Tom Ferrick's farewell article.

[Philadelphia]

It should not be any secret that the philly DA's office is grossly underfunded and overworked. A buddy I know works there and often handles at least one felony bench trial every single day. So the case prep time is -- basically read the file and go to court.

Another huge issue is courts granting continuances and the witnesses get tired of taking days off work to show up and just give up.

Finally, the judges know that when a scuzzball is convicted and sentenced, there's basically no room left in the prisons.

Fast Eddie is all over grandstanding for new laws but refuses to properly fund enforcement of what he's already got.

[dgg9]

Originally Posted by LakeCity

The worst news is that this is Tom Ferrick's farewell article.

No great loss IMO: he's an anti-gun twit.

[WhiteFeather]

This article can not possibly be true because Lynn Abrahams is the District Attorney for the City of Philadelphia-- that always had the time and money from Philly D.A. office to travel to Harrisburg, for lobbying, pleading and testifying for more gun control to solve Philly problem never mentioned this EVER!. Its just PA has very lax gun laws that always was the problem according to Lynn Abrahams expert opinion, NEVER her office incompetence in aggressively prosecuting criminals.