Taking Fugitives to Church

The New York Times reports today on an innovative program by the U.S. Marshals Service that "helps ease court backlogs and gives nonviolent fugitives a chance to resolve their court problems in a neutral setting." The innovation? The "neutral setting" was a church in Nashville. The idea is to encourage more people -- especially those who have only committed minor offenses -- to turn themselves in voluntarily, by giving them a non-threatening location to do so.