Philly Defendants Walk Free in Almost Two-Thirds of Violent Crime Cases
Philadelphia prosecutors obtain convictions in only 20 percent of violent crime cases, the lowest felony conviction rate among large urban counties.
In other major cities, prosecutors obtain felony convictions in about half of violent crime cases, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “In America’s most violent big city, people accused of serious crimes are escaping conviction with stunning regularity,” the newspaper reports in a four-part series that began on Sunday. In almost two-thirds of violent crime cases, defendants walk free on all charges, the Inquirer found in its investigation of 31,000 criminal cases.
“It is a system that all too often fails to punish violent criminals, fails to protect witnesses, fails to catch thousands of fugitives, fails to decide cases on their merits—fails to provide justice,” the Inquirer reports.
The newspaper found that the city has a growing pool of 47,000 fugitives—tying with Essex County, N.J., for the nation’s highest fugitive rate. Court officials say fugitives owe a “staggering” $1 billion in forfeited bail, the story says.
The findings spurred Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., to announce that a Senate subcommittee will conduct a preliminary inquiry into the city’s criminal justice system, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports in a separate story.
