The Year of the Criminal

PO2012 said:

Many people fail to understand just how significant an industry crime is here in Maryland. If controlled dangerous substances were legalized for commercial sale with the only caveat being that you couldn't sell to minors Baltimore City would collapse. CDS, prostitution and burglary pay the bills in Baltimore City. It may be despicable but it's reality.

All aspects of the criminal justice system also profit from this arrangement. Lenient sentences, insufficient prison space and no death penalty mean more criminals on the street and more revolving door justice. This generates additional demand for Police as well as prosecutors and defense attorneys. Everyone gets their piece except for your average tax payer who has to foot the bill for all of this crap.

Some members of the defense bar can be particularly shameful in this regard (no offense intended to fabsroman). I've been cross examined by defense attorneys wearing $1,000 suits and $600 shoes and sporting a $100 haircut and been embarrassed by how poorly they represented their clients who were obviously paying them significant sums of money with the expectation that they would receive a vigorous defense. Instead they got just this side of nothing. They might as well have represented themselves and plead not guilty to an agreed statement of facts. At least they would have saving themselves a few thousand dollars. Maryland's justice system is like a cash machine to some of these folks. Browbeat your client into taking the plea or put up a half assed defense. Either way collect the money. Same thing goes for some Cops. Make non-essential or legally shaky arrests and collect the court OT, because, hey, we know they're not going to jail anyway, right? The whole system has become a feeding trough. It's sad.

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PO2012 said:

Many people fail to understand just how significant an industry crime is here in Maryland. If controlled dangerous substances were legalized for commercial sale with the only caveat being that you couldn't sell to minors Baltimore City would collapse. CDS, prostitution and burglary pay the bills in Baltimore City. It may be despicable but it's reality.

All aspects of the criminal justice system also profit from this arrangement. Lenient sentences, insufficient prison space and no death penalty mean more criminals on the street and more revolving door justice. This generates additional demand for Police as well as prosecutors and defense attorneys. Everyone gets their piece except for your average tax payer who has to foot the bill for all of this crap.

Some members of the defense bar can be particularly shameful in this regard (no offense intended to fabsroman). I've been cross examined by defense attorneys wearing $1,000 suits and $600 shoes and sporting a $100 haircut and been embarrassed by how poorly they represented their clients who were obviously paying them significant sums of money with the expectation that they would receive a vigorous defense. Instead they got just this side of nothing. They might as well have represented themselves and plead not guilty to an agreed statement of facts. At least they would have saving themselves a few thousand dollars. Maryland's justice system is like a cash machine to some of these folks. Browbeat your client into taking the plea or put up a half assed defense. Either way collect the money. Same thing goes for some Cops. Make non-essential or legally shaky arrests and collect the court OT, because, hey, we know they're not going to jail anyway, right? The whole system has become a feeding trough. It's sad.

Click to expand...