Who’s to blame for a legal tragedy?

Re “D.A. to probe lapses that led to murder-suicide,” Jan. 9

I am outraged at the murder of Monica Thomas-Harris by her estranged husband, Curtis Bernard Harris, who was released from jail to tie up loose ends before being remanded to prison for violent acts. This particular situation shows how important it is that judges are well trained and well versed in the complexity and potential lethality of domestic violence.

We have been working hard over the years to make sure the criminal justice system works to prevent just this kind of tragedy. The training and education of all judges on this issue is vital.

Patti Giggans

Los Angeles

The writer is executive director of Peace Over Violence, formerly the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women.

--

It is true that we all make mistakes at work. However, when a judge makes as colossal a misjudgment as Judge Tia Fisher did by releasing Harris without bail, it resulted in murder. Did Fisher see the recommendation from the L.A. County Probation Department, and if so, why didn’t she heed it? Why didn’t the prosecutors protest the release? Thomas-Harris’ death again highlights what happens when you give violent criminals a second chance. At the very least, Fisher should lose her judgeship. If real justice applied, she would be arrested as an accomplice to murder.

Lee Bird

Riverside

--

I can’t help but wonder how this could happen. Harris was convicted and sentenced to 16 months for felony spousal abuse. The probation department did not recommend his release, but the judge and the district attorney decided to release him. Does the legal system ask a victim of violent crime how she feels about her convicted abuser being released to take care of personal affairs?

I wonder if the legal standard required of a reasonable judge and district attorney in protecting an individual against foreseeable harm was applied. In the medical profession, this would be negligence. Does the same hold true for the judiciary and district attorney?

Robin E. Johnson MD

Los Angeles

--

So Pamela Booth, supervisor of the district attorney’s office in Pomona, and her associates will be “determining the level of accountability we need to accept.” Try criminal charges and jail time. The district attorney’s office, through its outright negligence and inattention, allowed a dangerous man to kill, as surely as if it had purchased the gun for him. This monstrous oversight demands a reckoning.

Sarah Kelley

Sierra Madre