In cases where you see people in jail for years it's because the defendant has waived their right to a speedy trial until they are next in court. Every time th

In cases where you see people in jail for years it's because the defendant has waived their right to a speedy trial until they are next in court. Every time they go to court, they waive their right to a speedy trial until the next time they're in court. If they didn't, the judge would set a trial date for within a short period of time (less than 70 days). In practice, defendants will waive dates to fit into the judge's calendar.