If I were to tell you that LA's court system is 'clogged', you wouldn't be surprised at all, right?
Well, it's so bad, that officials in Los Angeles have filed motions in court to dismiss up to 2 million pending citations, warrants and fines for 'minor infractions' from 5 years ago or more. Apparently, some of these violations date back to 1981!
So, what's a 'minor infraction'? L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey says these would be 'nonviolent, low-level offenses' for minor pedestrian, quality-of-life and moving violations such as: sleeping on the street or in your car or low-level drug offenses
The majority of these infractions affect the homeless. They'll get a citation, they don't pay it, a warrant is issued, they fail to appear in court and by the time someone gets arrested and put in jail, fines have risen to hundreds of dollars.
According to the L.A. Times, Lacey, L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer and LAPD Chief Michael Moore came to this decision together because they believe it will unclog the system, save the courts money, allow them to focus on more violent offenses and most importantly, give people a second chance.
Feuer said:
"We're taking action with our law enforcement partners today to focus on the most important public safety issues, help address root causes of poverty and homelessness and conserve court resources."
Lacey said:
"This reprieve will help individuals struggling with homelessness and other types of economic challenges. Most importantly, we hope to make an impact that benefits the court and allws us all to reallocate limited resources."