NEW BAIL RELIEF PROGRAM FOR ST. JOSEPH COUNTY WILL BE DISCUSSED
WHEN: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 – 7 PM
WHERE: IUSB CIVIL RIGHTS HERITAGE CENTER
(1040 W Washington St., South Bend)
SPONSORED BY THE COMMUNITY FORUM FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE
PRESENTATIONS BY:
JUDGE JOHN BRODEN, St. Joseph Circuit Court
KATE WILLIAMS, Exec. Administrator, Community Corrections Advisory Board
DARRYL HELLER, Director of the Civil Rights Heritage Center
A discussion period will follow the presentations.
The intent of “Criminal Rule 26” is to avoid jailing people who have been arrested but not yet convicted of a crime – if they don’t pose a risk of reoffending or missing court appearances. Judges will make this decision based on a risk assessment tool developed by the State of Indiana.
St. Joseph County is one of nine counties chosen to pilot the program by the Indiana Supreme Court. The program will be mandated for all counties by 2020. “Criminal Rule 26” is intended to eliminate the “unfair and often protracted incarceration of poor people who don’t have the resources to purchase a bail bond or pay a bail deposit.”
