Even the most criminal-friendly advocates would agree that people accused of a crime must show up to court. But dodging court seems to be a way of life here and there are few consequences.

Last year the Honolulu Police Department made 5,990 arrests for criminal contempt of court, but records show no one was punished with jail time specifically for failing to appear. Missing court used to be considered serious disrespect of the system with a 30-day maximum sentence.

These days, judges seem to enable contempt as they routinely release people on their own recognizance (ROR) who have never returned to court voluntarily.

In my Waikiki neighborhood, data shows that 76% of ROR releases fail to return. At the end of a 12-month period, I found close to 40% of those cases still had outstanding warrants, which means the defendants may get off scot-free.

John Deutzman

Waikiki

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