If police say the want to talk to a certain person, don't say the person is guilty. Just say police are seeking a person for questioning. By mid-'90s, number of men and women behind bars in U.S. passed 1.4 million. For every one of these, five others were being processed in the criminal justice system. Since the mid-'80s, number of prisoners in state and federal prisons increased 80 percent.
Courts are overwhelmed.
Many settled out of court. Legal process begins with the arraignment of the accused, concludes with dismissal, not-guilty verdict or sentencing after a conviction. Two judicial systems, state and federal. Federal courts have power over only matters established by the Constitution. Crimes that cross state lines.