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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (32416)	12/8/2003 2:11:58 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

If this was posted before, i apologize. the thousands of people referred by the FBI and other federal investigators to prosecutors in connection with terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001, only a handful have been convicted and sentenced to long prison terms, according to an analysis of Justice Department figures published Monday. The FBI challenged the methodology of the analysis, saying it led to "misleading and unfounded conclusions ..." The analysis, carried out by statisticians and long-time law enforcement observers at the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse based at Syracuse University, found that in the two years after the Sept. 11 attacks about 6,400 people were referred to prosecutors in connection with terrorism or terrorist offenses. But of the 2,681 cases that had been wrapped up by the end of September 2003, some 879 were convicted of a crime and less than half of those -- 373 -- were sent to prison. Five received sentences of 20 years or more, which was actually fewer than in the two years before Sept. 11. The figures analyzed have been repeatedly cited by administration officials to justify their contention that the government is winning the war against terror. "Our report raises serious questions," David Burnham of TRAC told United Press International, "When such large numbers of cases are declined, dismissed or acquitted, we have to ask: Is the government pursuing the right strategy (in the war on terror)? Are they targeting the right people?" Burnham pointed out that nearly half the cases sent to federal attorneys were never prosecuted at all. "What does this say about the quality of the investigators?" he asked. "This report underscores concerns that I and others have raised," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in a statement. He said that he had written to officials earlier this year when the justice department first made the figures available, but had not received a response. The American Civil Liberties Union said the report "punctures the hype that the Justice Department and government have used to justify the Patriot Act and other measures they say are need to fight terrorism." ... from upi.com JMO lurqer