I applaud the move. Curious that these cases stretch as far back as 1978, isn't there a statute of limitations for this sort of charge? If so, I would have expected the oldest to have been closed automatically decades ago.
The statute of limitation applies to the time between the moment the crime was committed and the moment charges are filed. If charges were filled and warrants were issued in 1978 but the "fugitive" was not caught, the statute of limitation won't apply, and the suspect could still be arrested now.
Yeah, far too often, prosecutors try to cut a name for themselves by vigorously prosecuting, rather than by vigorously refusing to prosecute, so this is a refreshing turn.
From a systems point of view, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of electing prosecutors for this reason -- it might be better if they were appointed and held to basic broad metrics like violent crime rates and quality of life changes versus costs of incarceration. In fact, it might be better if there was less media attention placed on prosecutors in general, as this is often a stepping stone to other types of political office. I'd even go so far as to ban them from higher office for a period of time after their term is up. It just seems like the pursuit of justice is the last thing you want to politicize, and if it wasn't politicized, but there was an emphasis on efficiency, we would never have spent so much money on low level crimes in the first place.
> I applaud the move. Curious that these cases stretch as far back as 1978, isn't there a statute of limitations for this sort of charge?
The statute of limitations runs from the date of the alleged offense to when charges are filed; cases may not be resolved timely after charges are filed, e.g., if a defendant flees and prevents the case from proceeding to trial.
If you notice the article refers only to cases where there are warrants. So odds are someone who was arrested in 1972 for marijuana bonded out and never appeared for court. The court issues a warrant for failure to appear and the case is essentially suspended until the warrant is served and defendant brought before the court.
These kinds of things occurred from time to time in large waves like this. It’s usually a win for all parties, DA/prosecutors clear cases, judges get old cases off their docks, Police close these old warrants, some politician somewhere takes credit...the real irony some of these defendants will never know the difference.
