Open Fist

Fugitives are set free

It had been one of the largest and most successful man hunts in American history. In an operation that culminated last month, the U.S. Marshals Service joined forces with California law-enforcement agencies to track down 2,116 fugitives, using such scams as an ersatz parcel-delivery service to lure the criminals out of hiding. Most of those snared by FIST (fugitive investigative strike team) were being sought for violent crimes, and on the average each of the quarries had five felony counts on his record.

Within weeks of the arrests, almost half of those felons were back on the street, having been released on bail, freed on then” own recognizance or placed on probation. The irony is that many of them had been arrested because they had previously jumped bond, violated parole, fled jail or failed to show up in court to face earlier charges. Among the newly liberated: a 25-year-old Oakland man with 26 earlier arrests for grand theft and selling narcotics; a 22-year-old woman accused of forcible rape, prostitution and committing lewd acts with children; and a 21-year-old drug dealer with a previous arrest record.

Marshals Director Stanley Morris complains that limited prison space forced judges to turn loose the arrested fugitives. But, he says, “the fugitives pose a serious threat to society and should be dealt with firmly.”