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After push from primary opponent, Miami-Dade State Attorney to release nonviolent inmates due to coronavirus concerns
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle says her office is developing a process to release individuals being held under misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to help handle the coronavirus outbreak.
Some experts have worried crowded jails and prisons could serve as hotbeds for the virus. That prompted Rundle’s 2020 primary opponent, former American Civil Liberties Union attorney Melba Pearson, to call for Rundle to suspend cash bail for inmates.
“If an outbreak occurred within a detention facility, it is important to remember that guards, correctional officers, faculty, and support staff will all be put at greater risk,” Pearson said.
“That puts all Miami-Dade residents at greater risk as officers and staff return to their communities and could inadvertently infect community members.”
Those who can’t afford to post bail are otherwise stuck in jail until their court proceedings are scheduled.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle says her office is developing a process to release individuals being held under misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to help handle the coronavirus outbreak.
Some experts have worried crowded jails and prisons could serve as hotbeds for the virus. That prompted Rundle’s 2020 primary opponent, former American Civil Liberties Union attorney Melba Pearson, to call for Rundle to suspend cash bail for inmates.
“If an outbreak occurred within a detention facility, it is important to remember that guards, correctional officers, faculty, and support staff will all be put at greater risk,” Pearson said.
“That puts all Miami-Dade residents at greater risk as officers and staff return to their communities and could inadvertently infect community members.”
Those who can’t afford to post bail are otherwise stuck in jail until their court proceedings are scheduled.
