This could have led to more violence in a number of ways. But many people who work in criminal justice are zeroing in on another possible factor: the extended shutdown of so much of the court system, the institution at the heart of public order. The nationвЂ™s homicide rate rose by nearly 30% in 2020 and another 5% in 2021, essentially erasing two decadesвЂ™ worth of declines in deadly violence.Д¬riminologists have offered several explanations for the increase, including the rise in gun sales early in the pandemic, changes in police behavior following the protests over the murder of George Floyd, and the social disruptions caused by closures of schools and interruptions in social services. Meanwhile, new cases kept pouring in, partly as a result of the surge in violent crime that accompanied the pandemic. Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque, suspended such trials for much of 20. Some civil trials and preliminary hearings for criminal matters moved online, but actual criminal trials needed to be conducted in person in front of juries. Like many states, New Mexico had drastically curtailed the operation of its courts in response to the pandemic. Leon Casiquito, left, with Erik Fisher, the half brother who helped raise him Credit:Д«ut these were not normal circumstances.

By the time of his 2020 arrest, his family thought that a brief sojourn in jail - which is what someone in CasiquitoвЂ™s situation could expect under normal circumstances - might help him get himself clean. At 30, he suffered another accident: a car hit him while he was out walking, breaking both his legs and requiring more pain medication.

Those problems, his family believes, may have started with the pills he was prescribed in his teens after he was hit by a car while riding a four-wheeler and thrown 30 feet, putting him into a coma for a few days. DonateД¬asiquito had had similar run-ins with law enforcement before, mostly related to his troubles with alcohol and drugs. Fact-based, independent journalism is needed now more than ever.

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