Jails Makes Late Night Release Changes

In response to a Grand Jury report criticizing the release of inmates at night on dark roads with no sidewalks when the buses had stopped running, the Sheriff’s Department is making changes at the County Jail, where an average of nine people are let go nightly. The law dictates that inmates must be released when their terms are up, even if it’s at midnight, but they are allowed to stay in the waiting room until sunrise. To make that more appealing, the jail is replacing the three hard-plastic seats with new furniture, and jail commanders are now working more cooperatively with a nonprofit organization that provides such inmates a free taxi service. Previously, the jail refused to screen such inmates for their ability to pay, which quickly sapped the nonprofit’s resources, but they will now only refer inmates with $30 or less.