“Rescheduling people instead of actually dealing with the problems”

Excerpt from Lorelei, girlfriend of an in-custody defendant at the Hall of Justice in winter 2022.

Lorelei: Okay, so, today, um, I actually went [to court] because my boyfriend had his um court case kind of—they just rescheduled him today, but um. He had his court date today, and we haven't seen each other in a few months now, so I went just to kind of see him, and he went just to kind of see me, because we knew they were just going to reschedule. 

Interviewer: Mhm 

Lorelei: But we wanted to see each other for that few minutes. And, you know, got to do that. And, um. But it was long; it was very long. They, uh, they’ve got a lot going on in each courtroom right now. [chuckle]

Interviewer: Yeah.   

Lorelei: It kind of seems to just be rescheduling people instead of actually dealing with the problems. 

Interviewer: I see. Yeah. And so is that something that your boyfriend has encountered a lot with his case just being rescheduled to another day? 

Lorelei: Yes. Yeah, um, he's actually sitting there for no reason right now at all, except for the fact that they keep rescheduling. And if they would just, you know, have his court date—it would be, he would be released. But they're keeping people in there. The jails are pretty bad right now. He says that it's the worse he's ever seen it. 

Interviewer: Oh, wow … Yeah. 

Lorelei: Uh, I mean, I'm pretty sure he said that most everyone has either caught COVID or has COVID in there, um. 

Interviewer: Wow. 

Lorelei: But, uh, the courts, yeah, they're just really slow right now. 

Interviewer: Mhm. 

Lorelei: Um, judges just seem to keep, you know, rescheduling and rescheduling. He's had about six different public defenders already and none of them have actually looked into his case.