State lawmakers decided earlier this year they don’t want people warehoused in jail simply because they can’t afford bail.
Beginning in January, nearly everyone charged with non-violent crimes will be released. The bail reform measure impacts nearly half of all inmates in the Monroe County Jail.
In anticipation of those changes, they’re being given new court dates to determine whether they should get out of jail before the end of the year.
Starting in 2020, inmates being held on misdemeanors and some felonies won’t be required to post bail. The law is retroactive, so those locked up for similar crimes now must also be freed.
“We had to come up with a plan of how we were going to make sure that, by Jan. 1, everyone who is in jail should be there and everyone that should be out is out of jail,” said Monroe County Undersheriff Kory Brown.