Long pre-trial detention is a huge problem in the state systems and one of the biggest human rights issues in the U.S. today. At the federal level, adherence to the Speedy Trial Act, which provides a 30-day deadline for indictment and a further 70 days to trial pretty good. Average pre-trial detention is about 4 months in the federal system.

The article states that Lopez was held in mental units in prisons--his long detention was probably the result of his mental situation.