WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach County could soon allocate more funds to Florida State University's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice to perform research and evaluation of the county's current pretrial release practices.
During the height of the pandemic, then-Chief Judge Krista Marx issued an order in April 2020 to reduce bail from $3,000 to $1,000 for primarily nonviolent third-degree felonies. The order was rescinded in July 2021.
Herring said several county leaders apposed lowering bonds for all third-degree felonies, specifically those that involved children or other victims.
County leaders on Tuesday will discuss allocating $67,250 to FSU to further study the system. Herring said they will look and the ins and outs and the possibility of lowering bonds for only specific crimes.
"We're looking at what other options, what other projects, what other powers we could try to be able to make an impact where we're reducing the cost of jail beds and at the same time, we're providing people with hopefully a sustainable mental health and substance abuse support system," Herring said.
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