Evidence-Based Bail Assessment Questioned

It took only 10 days for Milwaukee County's new pretrial release system for criminal defendants to be questioned by the very people who sought it implementation, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Derrick Byrd, 21, charged with felony murder in an October fatal robbery, was released without posting a cash bail. It wasn't a mistake; Court Commissioner Kevin Costello was following the recommendation of Justice 2000, the agency contracted to assess tens of thousands of people brought into the county's jail.

It's all part of "evidence-based decision making" meant to bring more effective management of law enforcement and justice system resources, reported the Journal Sentinel. Justice 2000 began using the new protocol and assessment tool Jan. 17 after years of research and development.

"There will always be some outside factors," said Chief Judge Jeffrey Kremers, noting that both Costello and Borowski had followed the program.

"No victim is ever going to accept an evidence-based decision that conflicts with their emotion-based decision" about bail, Kremers told the Journal Sentinel. "That's valid, but as a system we can't make decisions totally emotion-based, though it always plays some role."

To read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/pretrial-release-system-takes-hit-tp40r57-138459384.html