37 Sentenced In 45 days
In Speedy Trials
The Tribunal de Juicio
para casos de Flagrancia
(court that tries cases
for criminals caught red
handed) reports the
sentencing of 37
individuals in only 45
days of the new trial
system being applied.
Of the 37, 18 (16 men
and two women) were sent
to jail while the other
19 were given probation
for periods of three to
five years.
David Hernández, court
coordinator, said the
figures reflect the
objective of a speedy
trial of the justice
system.
The Tribunal de Juicio
para casos de Flagrancia
went into effect on
October 1 in response to
the increased crime and
an attempt on the part
of the Poder Judicial to
eliminate that many of
the crimes were
committed with impunity.
Many of the crimes
committed never got to
court since the victims
and witnesses abandoned
their claim or lost
interest following long
months of waiting,
especially in cases
involving the theft of
small amounts of cash or
cellular phones, for
example.
During the six weeks of
the system, statistics
show that trials ran
from record breaking
five hours to the
longest 37 days.
In most of the cases,
the criminals were
caught "in flagranti"
(red handed). |
