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NACDL: "Minor Crimes, Massive Waste: The Terrible Toll of America?s Broken Misdemeanor Courts"

By Real Cost of Prisons Project (The Sentencing Project)

Washington, DC (Apr. 28, 2009) ? Nationwide, state and local governments are wasting millions of tax dollars to prosecute petty offenses, creating huge deficits in their budgets and violating the constitutional rights of citizens haled into court. That is the conclusion of "Minor Crimes, Massive Waste: The Terrible Toll of America?s Broken Misdemeanor Courts", a report released today by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) that comprehensively examines misdemeanor courts across the country. The report, (http://www.nacdl.org/public.nsf/defenseupdates/misdemeanor/$FILE/Report.pdf), recommends that states divert non-violent misdemeanor cases that do not impact public safety to programs that are less costly to taxpayers and repay society through community service or civil fines...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog on April 28, 2009 (boomark / email).