the new law to issue summons to individuals arrested for

Posted on: August 26, 2019 at 20:28:05 CT

felonies will work wonders to help that go down. (sarcasm)

example: arrest Joe Smith for burglary. there is 24 hours to charge him or release him.

used to be prosecutors would charge him in that window and a bond would be set.

now prosecutors let that 24-hour window expire unless you can prove the suspect is a flight risk or a danger to others. if you can convince the judge of that risk a warrant will be issued while the suspect is still in custody during that 24-hour window.

of course in rural areas, this might work but in the urban areas, they are not issuing the warrants even when proven the suspect has a violent history or a history of not appearing.

The suspect is then released on his own recognizance and a summons, rather than a warrant, is issued at a later time. The suspect has no bond so nothing to ensure their appearance.

the suspect is then mailed the summons (good luck b/c a good portion are transient or lie) and if they fail to show up for that THEN a warrant is issued.

and it's up to the police to go find them again.

https://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20190629/new-bail-rules-take-effect-monday