CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A prosecutor in Ohio's most populous county has asked judges to help speed up its sluggish criminal justice system by changing the way cases are assigned. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason wants criminal cases to be assigned to judges when defendants are charged, instead of weeks later at arraignment.
It would allow prosecutors to share evidence with defense lawyers earlier in a case. That could decrease the time it takes to reach a plea deal or send a suspect into drug treatment. Mason says it would build on the success of other pilot reforms that have expedited cases, including a change in prosecutors' assignments. He has asked common pleas judges to approve the switch by amending criminal case rules.
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