Maricopa County filing fewer criminal charges in COVID-19 response
Apr 27, 2020, 3:00 PM | Updated: 7:10 pm
(Screenshots/Google Maps)
(Screenshots/Google Maps)
PHOENIX – The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Monday it had cut down dramatically on the number of defendants facing charges and going to jail to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The county has filed 342 cases in April, with more aggressive crimes given priority, according to new statistics from the office. An offender’s history also was a determining factor how the case would be pursued.
During the first week of March, 734 cases were filed.
“This office has taken great strides to reduce the number of those who must interact with the criminal justice system during the pandemic,” chief prosecutor Allister Adel said in a press release.
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Adel also instructed staff four weeks ago to focus on those already in custody.
Of the felony cases filed from April 6 to April 24, the most were for aggravated assaults and theft by means of transportation, at 95. Misconduct involving weapons; child abuse; robbery and arson followed with 74.
“This community can be sure these efforts were executed with public safety as the office’s top priority and those who committed crimes during this time will be held accountable when it is safe and prudent to do so,” she said this week.
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The population of the jails Sheriff Paul Penzone oversees has dropped from a daily average of 7,500 before the virus, to about 5,300, based on last week’s figures.
Penzone suspended the work furlough and work release programs in late March. Around 100 inmates were sent home.
About 700 workers for the county attorney’s office have been doing their jobs from home, Adel said.
The Arizona health department said Monday that 6,716 have tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of 190 from Sunday, but there were no fatalities reported.
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