Turbo Trials Planned For Those Caught Red-Handed

The Tico Times February 1, 2008

Bandits, killers and other criminals caught in the act will be tried more quickly after legislators passed a law to speed up the process, the government announced Tuesday.

The bill, approved Monday by a lawmaking body of the Legislative Assembly, puts courts to work longer hours and weekends in a pilot plan to fulfill the demand of mounting cases in a country in which crime has become a real concern.

According to several media reports, the courts will be able to hold swift trials to charge suspects after such everyday incidents as cell-phone and jewelry theft.

Cases will close “in a matter of a few hours or a few days,” Judge José Manuel Arroyo told reporters, adding that justice would not be compromised, as the system will “strictly uphold the right to due process and to preparing a defense.”