Fugitives Find Relief in 'Safe Surrender'

Over the past three days, more than 475 people have come to a Northwest Washington church to turn themselves in to a government-run "safe surrender program" for fugitives, including a man who walked from Landover, a woman who had been wanted for 20 years for shoplifting and a father encouraged by his son, who had just finished a 15-year prison sentence.

John Carrington Jr., 39, said he held his father's hand as the two walked into Bible Way Church on Friday. John Carrington Sr. had been facing a drug possession misdemeanor for three years but didn't want to turn himself in until his son got out, "so we could be together without any bars between us," Carrington said yesterday.

"When I heard about this program on the radio, I said, 'Dad, I heard something that I think is really meant for us,' " said the younger Carrington, who was released three weeks ago. He was convicted of possession of a firearm during a violent crime.

Like dozens of others who filed into Bible Way's basement, the elder Carrington went before a robed judge in a makeshift courtroom, where the 62-year-old, of Northeast Washington, pleaded guilty and was given six months' probation.

An additional 55 people turned themselves in to the courts after hearing about the Fugitive Safe Surrender program, which is being run by the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington and five other cities. It aims to entice nonviolent offenders with favorable consideration of their cases on neutral ground.

Fifteen percent of those who tried to turn themselves in weren't facing warrants but thought they were. Among them was an older woman who showed up the first day, said Leonard A. Sipes Jr., a spokesman with the District's Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency. The woman's former husband had told her he had taken out a warrant on her for assault months ago, and "she had been living in fear," Sipes said.

The program is aimed at getting nonviolent cases dealt with, as experts say fugitives -- even those wanted for minor offenses, such as traffic violations -- tend to be isolated from society, not wanting to apply for jobs, pay child support or sign up for drug treatment programs because they fear their records will be checked. About 28,000 warrants are outstanding in Washington, 15,000 of which are misdemeanors, the population Fugitive Safe Surrender is targeting.

Of the hundreds who turned themselves in, 10 were arrested. The rest saw their cases resolved or got a future hearing date. Thirty percent of the cases involved traffic violations, and the rest were criminal. Although the program focuses on nonviolent offenders, several people turned themselves in for more serious crimes including armed robbery, escape from a correctional facility and domestic violence, Sipes said.

About 80 percent of those who came were men.

Angela Wilson found herself in tears yesterday in Courtroom 3, a part of the basement marked off by short, temporary walls, where she told Superior Court Judge John Ramsey Johnson that she wanted help with her 19-year-old son, Rashaad. He was charged with simple assault this year after a dispute with their D.C. landlord, and he skipped town for New York City after struggling to make his probation appointments.

"I want him to get help with employment and with anger management. I want him to be a productive member of society," she said, dabbing her eyes as her son looked on.

A few minutes later, he walked out with an ankle bracelet and a promise that if he participated in anger management programs, his record would be wiped clean in months. His mother was smiling.