Tag: Courts

2023 Plea Bargain Task Force Report urges fairer, more transparent justice system

CHICAGO (Feb. 22, 2023) – Plea bargaining has become the primary way to resolve criminal cases in the United States, with nearly 98% of convictions nationwide currently coming from guilty pleas. But plea bargaining as currently practiced is often unj
— Read on www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2023/02/plea-bargain-task-force/

Get a .PDF copy of the report HERE

Repeated Police Misconduct by 200 Officers Cost Chicago Taxpayers $164.3M Over 5 Years: Analysis | Chicago News | WTTW

Cases that involved at least one officer with repeated claims of misconduct accounted for nearly 43% of the $384.2 million paid by taxpayers to resolve police misconduct cases between 2019 and 2023, according to the analysis.

The issue with this report is that there is no like to the analysis.

The report doesn’t indicate how many cases went to trial, lost at trial, cases where compromises were made.

Keep in mind that with police misconduct law suits the Municipality acts in its own interests. Not in the interests of the officers. This means the officers can be innocent of the accusations and the Municipality would settle if it thinks it less expensive or politically advantageous to settle.
— Read on news.wttw.com/2024/08/12/repeated-police-misconduct-200-officers-cost-chicago-taxpayers-1643m-over-5-years

The effects of cash bail on crime and court appearances

On any given day, approximately 514,000 people are held in local jails across the United States. Though defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, more than 80% of the jail population are awaiting trial and have yet to be convicted of a crime. Defendants accused of particularly serious violent crimes or who pose a credible threat to public safety may be detained in jail while awaiting trial. However, most defendants are entitled to pretrial release. Judges may impose conditions on a defendant’s release, such as electronic monitoring or supervision through a pretrial services agency.
— Read on reason.org/policy-brief/the-effects-of-cash-bail-on-crime-and-court-appearances/