ATTORNEY GENERAL TARGETS FRIBOLOUS JAIL LAWSUITS

It's been a problem for years both nationally and in Missouri. Prisons are full of inmates who spend their time filing frivolous lawsuits.

State and federal governments end up spending a lot of time answering such suits, which costs considerable money. The end result is that taxpayers wind up the losers from these mindless judicial exercises.

But actions like those taken by Missouri Attorney General William Webster and his office could go a long way toward shackling such lawsuits. Webster's office is now filing countersuits against state inmates who file frivolous lawsuits.

The effort has already paid dividends. In one case originating from the state prison at Moberly, the Attorney General's office filed a countersuit and won a judgment. Within two weeks, inmates had dismissed more than 200 lawsuits.

With time, hopefully all of Missouri's inmates will get the message. File a frivolous lawsuit and you stand a good chance of losing your cigarette and magazine money, which is no small deal if you're living life in a cellblock.

In addition, attorneys who bring frivolous suits can be held responsible for paying attorneys' fees. After all, citizens have a right to expect those in the legal profession to behave responsibly and not simply chase after the almighty dollar.

Filing such countersuits is a good idea and one that might be applied successfully on a national scale.

Across this country, convicted criminals, aided at times by willing attorneys, have made a travesty of judicial proceedings by filing seemingly never-ending lawsuits, which continually raise the same legal issues over and over again like a broken record.

On average, a capital case now takes a decade to settle because of countless appeals. Nationally, there are 10,000 such cases. About half the cases clogging the federal courts in Missouri are inmate-related claims.

All this is not to say that those convicted of crimes should not be entitled to make legitimate appeals. But they should not be able to ride roughshod over the court system.

The actions of Webster and his office seem certain to help restore justice to the legal system. Discouraging these frivolous lawsuits can also save tax dollars. And that's a verdict we can all live with.