Local News in Brief : Court Aide Corrects Study on Case Ages
Frank S. Zolin, executive officer of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, has corrected results of a study by his staff, reporting that only 50% of the court’s felony criminal cases were less than 60 days old last June rather than 71% as he had indicated Aug. 31.
Zolin filed the correction in U.S. District Court, where his court is accused by the American Civil Liberties Union, acting on behalf of County Jail inmates, of causing jail overcrowding by sluggish processing of criminal cases.
The correction means that the proportion of cases more than 60 days old dropped only from 53% in June of 1985 to 50% last June, rather than to the 29% Zolin previously stated.
Zolin assured the federal court that the corrected figures in no way changed the Superior Court’s defense. If judges’ foot-dragging had caused jail overcrowding by backing up felony cases awaiting trial, Zolin said, the percentage of cases older than 60 days would have increased rather than decreased.
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