Justice Delayed




This article from yesterday's New York Times, above the fold on the front page of the Metro section, scrutinized the decrepit state of maintenance on the public elevators at the Bronx Family-Criminal Courthouse building. It recounted horror stories of hour-plus delays and custody hearings postponed. What it didn't highlight was the larger context: major construction projects that dominate the area, and the delayed completion of the Hall of Justice building.

Additional coverage on 1010WINS.

Comments

Anonymous said…
As an employee of Bronx Family Court, I admit the elevators are in terrible shape. The article however is misleading in blaming the elevators for the long lines and delays. The line that extends out the building is not for the elevators, but for the hundreds waiting to pass through the metal detectors-a frustrating, but absolutely necessary process. There could be 50 working elevators every second of the day and the line would be no shorter.
For all the rude and aggressive behavior that is on display in and around the building, I've always found the the people waiting to get into the Family Court building keep their cool and contain their frustration pretty well, all things considered. Go figure.

Also, I heard what I thought was a pretty representative response from a typical court clerk to the article: "Well, if those people missed their hearings, they should have arrived earlier and allowed extra time."