Criminal Cases and Courts
After reading the letter by Paul J. Wallin (Nov. 23), I was pleased to learn that the Orange County district attorney’s office has adopted a policy of refusing to discuss felony cases in chambers with the court and defense attorneys. The requirement is that all discussions be held in open court. However, Wallin predicts that this new policy will “cause serious ramifications to our criminal justice systemâ€.
It is my view that the archaic practice of secrecy (in chambers) serves to encourage deception (and muddling of the issues) by some self-serving attorneys. Therein lies some of the responsibility for the “serious logjam in the systemâ€--which Wallin has complained about in his letter.
Obviously, something has been wrong with the old policy--how can justice be served when deals are made behind closed doors? I would hope that the scope of the new policy will be extended to include civil cases as well as criminal cases.
In my own civil case, the main issues of a divorce settlement were not discussed in open court, and I had no knowledge that agreements had been negotiated behind closed doors, and my life has never been the same.
However, my hands have been tied--my attorney became a judge.
ROSE DASHOFF
Costa Mesa
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