Sacramento County has a unique night court program that is getting some attention from the California State Association of Counties.
In its "Violation of Probation In Lieu Night Court," the county shortens the court process for someone who is on probation and finds him or herself in trouble with the law again.
"They're low level offenders that could be in and out of the system in a much shorter and efficient time if we just filed a violation of probation on them in lieu of fresh charges," Sacramento County Assistant District Attorney Steve Grippi said in a video produced by the California State Association of Counties.
The offenders eligible for this expedited process are only theft and drug offenders, he said.
The program has saved Sacramento County $12.6 million over the past two years, according to the state association of counties.
"The new system has moved more than 2,000 cases out of the overburdened court system and the cases get settled in one or two court appearances," the California State Association of Counties' Erin Treadwell wrote. "What used to take several weeks can get settled in a matter of days."
Rosemont, what do you think of this process? Should the county be using this quick process for repeat drug and theft offenders, or should prosecutors file fresh charges each time someone breaks the law, no matter what? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
