Time Saved on 3-Strikes Cases, Report Finds
A speedy-trial plan implemented earlier this year at the downtown Los Angeles Criminal Courts Building has sharply cut the time it takes for three-strikes cases to move through the system, according to a report released Wednesday.
From start to finish in Superior Court, the average third-strike case took 86 days in 1996, according to the report from Judge James Bascue, the supervising judge at the courthouse.
In contrast, the average in 1995 was 101 days, according to Bascue, who presented the report to the Countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee, a 39-member panel consisting of top law enforcement, court and elected officials.
Elsewhere in the county, the 1996 average was 87 days--up from the 84-day average in 1995.
The report tracked cases that were filed in Superior Court between March 18 and June 17 and were finished by Oct. 1.
The speedy-trial plan, launched March 18 at the Criminal Courts Building as a pilot project, involves a return to basics: Cases in Superior Court either go to trial within the 60-day period mandated by state law or they are dismissed.
The plan is due to be implemented countywide Jan. 1.
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