If selective refusal becomes the norm, the system does not improve. It breaks apart, leaving defendants and victims without justice.
And a fragmented justice system is not justice at all.
San Francisco’s criminal justice system may be reaching a breaking point. A San Francisco Superior Court judge recently found Public Defender Mano Raju in contempt and imposed fines after the office continued declining court-assigned cases in defiance of a prior order to stop doing so. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins says the refusals are disrupting court operations. The public defender says caseloads are too high to handle additional assignments ethically.
Both sides have valid points, but the reality is that only one set of rules can keep the courts running and ensure defendants are not left without representation — and victims without justice.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.
San Francisco’s Justice System Is Breaking Down
Steve Smith
If selective refusal becomes the norm, the system does not improve. It breaks apart, leaving defendants and victims without justice.
And a fragmented justice system is not justice at all.
San Francisco’s criminal justice system may be reaching a breaking point. A San Francisco Superior Court judge recently found Public Defender Mano Raju in contempt and imposed fines after the office continued declining court-assigned cases in defiance of a prior order to stop doing so. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins says the refusals are disrupting court operations. The public defender says caseloads are too high to handle additional assignments ethically.
Both sides have valid points, but the reality is that only one set of rules can keep the courts running and ensure defendants are not left without representation — and victims without justice.
Read the entire op-ed here.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.