A civil grand jury in Marin County has released a scathing report regarding a substantial backlog of criminal cases in the county, placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of the District Attorney's Office.
describes the District Attorney's Office as being in"crisis" due to high turnover, overloaded attorneys, poor organization and structuring, and"multiple" lawsuits against the office alleging discrimination based on race, gender and age."The backlog affects the community at large, including victims of crime, people charged with crimes, and the law enforcement agencies responsible for investigating and prosecuting criminal cases," reads the report.
As for people incarcerated, as of Feb. 28, of the 251 people in Marin County Jail, nearly 80 percent were there awaiting trial. Twenty percent of them had been there for more than a year. Being held in custody pre-trial for long periods of time -- though our country holds that a person is considered innocent until proven guilty -- has adverse effects on a defendant's family, employment and their own ability to assist in their defense, the jury said.
"It is not clear to me why the civil grand jury did not more fully address why the individuals are in custody," she said."As of this past weekend, 10 percent of the 252 individuals incarcerated were booked for murder or attempted murder charges." "Cases were continued multiple times by the hundreds, resulting in delays of up to a year or more," she said.
As for day-to-day operations at the District Attorney's Office, the jury pointed to high turnover and poor organization. According to the jury, in January 2019 the office had 30 attorneys. Since then, 14 of them have left. Eleven other attorneys hired since then have also left, for a total of 25 departures in four years and two months.
The district attorney said that over 4,000 cases were on the Criminal Court calendar during January 2022 alone due to the backlog, which made it difficult to keep up with new cases and settle older ones.
The jury did not comment on the merit of any of the lawsuits against the office alleging discrimination, but it noted that"their mere existence is a point of concern and affects morale."
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