All-Night Police Courts.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13462, 7 December 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

All-Night Police Courts.

The New York correspondent, of the ••■Standard." has given particulars or the , workings of the first all-night police court. He. says that 239 cases were disposed of. , The chief. purpose of the. cxpenmeni, is .to . eliminate the professional " bondsman, o,r bail-er-out- one of the many evils from which the city suifeis. For yearn. In®,., police of New York have* been in tin? 1 kio of arresting persons or ".night birds against wiioiu' they luive no evidence ot actual wrongdoing. These unfortumtWs w<?re taken ■ in charge solely that profeM-ional • bailers-out —acting- in collusion with the police—might derive advantage. For the payment by tile priMMcr of" five dollaia they guaranteed the ac cused's appearance The .money was paid more often than not to, avoid a night in the cells. V . Under the new law all-persons arrested must be brought at once to the night court. Nearly all the magistrates uttended , on the first night, taking it in•. turn itf . sit. Occasionally two suit together l for' Ihe purpose of saving itiinc. ' All manner of capes canitv before them, from tluv variant without' shelter to the wealthy moUiini!' owned'' arrested! for exceeding tin? speed limit. One not- unnatural result of U<e' ntvw court's work was that -(Then the dhy. courts opened in the morning thero v, ere from 40 , -jto 70 per cent, fewer-, casea . to. •• deal with. .