It does end up working that way in practice, though it’s not quite as straightforward as that. What’s really happening is that courts are very backed up, jails

It does end up working that way in practice, though it’s not quite as straightforward as that. What’s really happening is that courts are very backed up, jails are full, and judges release most people on their own recognizance within about 72 hours of the crime. They still have to go to court for that crime…eventually, but in the mean time, there’s nothing to stop them from going right back at it when they get released. There are people who have been arrested dozens upon dozens of times, and by now must have a list of court hearings a mile long, but they keep getting put back out on the street while they await their hearing. So in effect, at least for now, they are immune to prosecution.