Inquirer Editorial: Bail jumpers get free pass

When Philadelphia authorities slashed the city's backlog of 47,000 fugitives by more than 40 percent, they never intended to send the message that crime pays.

That's the harsh reality, though, of their decision to drop criminal charges against more than 19,000 defendants whose cases have been dormant for as long as four decades.

That bookkeeping step made sense. As an Inquirer investigation revealed last year, the overburdened city court system is plagued by low conviction rates, with thousands of cases dismissed. Due to the massive fugitive backlog, thousands of cases never even make it to trial.

Weeding out the more minor criminal cases that, with the passing years, have become all but impossible to prosecute will help the courts keep up with current crimes affecting the city today.

But the process of purging cases against so many accused drug dealers, drunken drivers, thieves, prostitutes, sex offenders, and burglars leaves their victims in its wake.

Prosecutors from District Attorney Seth Williams' staff say they took pains to assure that no one accused of a serious or violent crime was cleared, yet some slipped through the cracks.

When Inquirer reporters contacted victims whose accused attackers no longer faced prosecution, they encountered understandable shocked and angry reactions.

But Williams says prosecutors have begun reviewing cases that should be reopened against suspects accused of sexual assault and other violent crimes. That's important to reassure citizens' faith in the judicial system.

The challenge going forward will be to prevent the fugitive backlog from spinning out of control once again. The district attorney has a fugitive task force in the works, and plans to reach out to authorities across the nation for help in tracking fugitives. Prosecutors also will look to convict more bail jumpers in absentia, so that justice is served.

Never again should it be necessary to hand out this many Get Out of Jail Free cards.