PhillyTablet Inquirer Daily News
Mobile
Home Delivery
philly.com
email
font size
options
 
Thursday, December 17, 2009

Criminal justice system needs emergency action
During a December 2007 arrest, police were surprised by the amount of stolen property they found inside a car driven by John Gassew. At top right, arrest photos of Gassew at ages 16, 21, and 23.

 

The gallery of one man’s mug shots on the front page of The Inquirer yesterday, chronicling some of John Gassew’s 44 arrests, perfectly illustrates the dysfunction of Philadelphia’s criminal justice system.
 
It is infuriating and alarming to learn that Gassew, a criminal-court veteran at age 23, remains free despite dozens of charges of armed robbery and other violent offenses.
 
Every judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, and elected official should be outraged and embarrassed by the breakdown in Philadelphia’s courts detailed in the series. Taxpayers, police officers, crime victims, and witnesses are all fed up with the parade of violent criminals who flout the system and terrorize the streets.
 
Now that the four-day series has ended, one burning question remains: What will it take to fix a criminal justice system that is clearly broken?
 
Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.) plans to hold a public hearing on the issue in Philadelphia on Monday. That’s a fine start. It should shed more light and — it is hoped — some heat on the issue.
 
But this is a complex problem in a messy criminal justice system with a lot of separate parts. No one person is completely in charge — or at fault. There is plenty of blame to go around. And in a city long bereft of strong leadership on this issue, no one with the power to address the problem seems eager to step forward.
 
However, this isn’t a problem that one person can solve anyway. It’s a serious crisis that threatens the general welfare and safety of the entire Philadelphia region. It demands that all those in positions of authority and responsibility work to fix the problem. Now.
 
Mayor Nutter has the biggest bully pulpit in the city. He also has a lot of other issues on his plate. But, as he has noted many times, crime impacts the quality of life in Philadelphia in many ways. He must make it a priority.
 
The city spends about $100 million a year to operate the courts — a responsibility Harrisburg has abdicated despite a state Supreme Court ruling years ago that says the state should fund them.
 
As mayor, Nutter has some skin in this game, and the power. He should use it. He should declare an emergency, gather key stakeholders in a room, and start coming up with ideas.
 
Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille, a former Philadelphia district attorney, could help Nutter lead the way. Other key players who should be involved include President Judge Marsha H. Neifield of the Philadelphia Municipal Court; Judge Lydia Y. Kirkland, who supervises the court’s criminal division; and Pamela P. Dembe, president judge of the Court of Common Pleas.
 
Incoming District Attorney Seth Williams also should be there. This is a perfect opportunity for him to begin changes that will help reduce case dismissals.
 
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Levy should be brought in to help with the prosecution of the most violent felons. Of course, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey should be included to discuss efforts to arrest fugitives and reduce witness intimidation.
 
The leaders of the criminal defense bar, as officers of the court, must be a part of the solution.
 
The problem is tremendous. It requires help from many corners.
Posted by Inquirer Editorial Board @ 3:00 AM  Permalink | 6 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:19 PM, 12/17/2009
    No Ramsey needs to start in his own house... In the words of the Commisioner, "... I can under once, twice, three times, but..." You have criminals right in police force...Arrest and prosecute those first and then the citzenry can rally behind this mess. If you don't clean them up first you are going to have the 35th again... Just my two cents....
    — The Truth
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:57 PM, 12/20/2009
    DOES THE DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HAVE RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTROL THESE WANNABE TERRORISTS (RAMPAGING GANGS). A STRETCH IN GUANTANAMO MY CHANGE SOME OF THESE ATTITUDES.
    — DONALD CHAPDELAINE
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:54 PM, 12/21/2009
    The Truth, thanks for speaking the truth!
    — Tasha
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:57 PM, 12/21/2009
    What dysfunction -- this is exactly what the liberals such as yourselves ordered. You wanted low sentences for "nonviolent offenders" and that is just what he is, technically. The police are arresting these guys, but they walk right out, after doing 2-3 years for crimes that would 15-20 in most other states. They'll get arrested with guns, with drugs, and that should draw 5 years mand min in PA, but they get it thrown out by the DA's office. This is payola, the only explanation. The FBI should investigate.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:59 PM, 12/21/2009
    Williams wants to INCREASE pleas, that would increase dismissals. That is what you guys reported. Williams said that his office is too "inflexible" even as this article shows that the process has lost all meaning and sense of consequences. Crime has no meaningful punishment in Philly.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:01 PM, 12/21/2009
    NO one on the editorial board has stated that Gassew is a "nonviolent drug offender" by virtue of an ineffective court system. That is just the very offender the papers' editorial boards at PNI have labored mightily to see released as a solution to all things criminal.
    — CleanupPhilly


6 comments
About The Inquirer Editorial Board
Welcome. You're reading the Inquirer Editorial Board's Say What? opinion blog. We hope you enjoy commentary from the Editorial and Commentary pages, in addition to up-to-the-minute opinion postings that appear here for the first time. Here are thumbnail bio sketches and contact information for the editors and writers who produce the newspaper's opinion pages. (Our blog roll follows the ad below.) Please check out the videos from our One Great Idea project. And don't miss our daily online reader polls.
Join on Facebook    Follow on Twitter

Advertise Here