Miami Herald . August 28-September 5 and September 22, 1994.
All stories begin on page one.
This shocking series is the result of an eight-month study by the Herald staff into the practices of the Dade County court system. It documents how those practices are allowing repeat career criminals to evade jail time. Grossly overworked judges and prosecutors, inadequate prison capacity, and unusual discovery were identified as key reasons for a very ineffective system. The Herald staff also found that many defendants in violent crime and burglary cases used a drug addiction defense to persuade Dade County judges to cut their jail time considerably. Many never completed their assigned drug counseling program, and others never even enrolled.