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ATLANTA - Victims of crimes driven by teenagers want the offenders held accountable.
Chief Fulton Judge Bradley Boyd says he understands the anger, but he believes long term the answer is not locking up a bunch of kids.
The judge says the public does not understand the law. If a juvenile commits a property crime, the court will not seek punishment by putting them in jail. The prosecution should go forward but the teen will not be detained before any given appearance before a judge.
The law is different for more serious offenders, like those who pull a weapon during the act.
Boyd, in a lengthy sit down interview, was candid about another issue inside the downtown courthouse which likely will turn stomachs of those who have been past victims.
For the last full year statistics going back to 2015, Boyd says, he and the other judges actually had no choice but to dismiss forty-one percent of all cases. The reason he gave is that the prosecutors were not ready to go forward with the evidence; there were either missing documents or witnesses.
District attorney Paul Howard responded saying the judge's statistics must be in error.
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