Dallas County Commissioners Change Pretrial Release Program to Help Release More Inmates

Dallas County Commissioners voted to change the pre-trial release program to help release more inmates who do not pose a security threat while they await trial.

They say this is an attempt to reduce prison overcrowding in line with current policy. A low-risk prisoner must have two references to be eligible for pre-trial release.

As per the approved change, this will be reduced to one link.

“We are trying to return to their families and the lives of people who do not pose a danger to society,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. “It saves taxes.”

It costs $67 a day to hold an inmate at the Dallas County Jail, which is far too busy since the pandemic exacerbated the backlog of lawsuits.

The county has a longstanding parole program for prisoners awaiting trial.

On Tuesday, members of the commission voted to review it and bring the offenses into line with state law.

Changes were also made, such as making prisoners eligible for provisional release as little as a year after their release from prison for another offense instead of three years, and reducing the need for two personal appeals to one.

“We used to need more than one mention to swear that you are a good person and will be back for a trial date,” Jenkins said. “Now we realize we can do it with just one link.”

An example of such a need was a homeless person who was vouched for only by the business owner.

Jenkins claims that the updates will indeed improve public safety.

“It’s a pretty big problem when you get up to 90% power,” he said. “You make decisions you don’t normally make about who goes in and who goes out.”

Dallas County Commissioner John Wylie Price said places for female inmates are particularly limited.

“Guardianship is not meant for women. We have about 850 women in custody. The moment we get to 915, we will be in trouble,” he said. “According to the Texas Commission on Prison Standards. Or we don’t follow them.

Price said the state is exacerbating the space problem by denying housing to the mentally ill.

“We are dealing with a state that says that we have 400 recognized as mentally handicapped. They belong to the state. We need 400 beds,” he said.

Prisoners who commit violent crimes are excluded from the pre-trial release program.

The defendant must also have no previous convictions for violent crimes or assaults within the past seven years.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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