The 'rumors' and 'myths' are not based on a single court or district. They are based on the facts in the numbers of people in jail compared to other countries and what they are in for. In my limited dealings with that level of the judicial system I think you are spot on. That is a big reason I have so much overall faith in it as a fair arbiter for things like warrants when needed. Generally it is a good system. The problem is there are some PD's and courts that have abused this and are a big part of the real reason we have seen all of the riots. This has been born out in the independent reports from the DOJ, which oversee's so many of them. The large majority are fine but especially in large metro areas, the problems are easier to see. I don't doubt you are seeing what you wrote about..... It just doesn't dispell the "myths".