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Cuyahoga County Searching For Ways To Reduce Jail Population

The justice center complex in Downtown Cleveland routinely holds hundred of inmates beyond its capacity. [Nick Castele / ideastream]
photo of justice center

The latest attempt at reform and a new bail policy calls for the creation of a daily list of inmates who could be released while they wait for trial, according to a report by cleveland.com.

Judges would be able to identify and release nonviolent inmates more quickly.

The goal is to reduce the population in the jail. One of the critiques found in a 2018 US Marshall’s report on the Cuyahoga County jail was chronic overpopulation.

But Claire Chevrier from the ACLU of Ohio says the county should never have allowed ethe jail population to grow so large in the first place.

“And so what really needs to happen is bail reform on the front end — why are people who could later be released being held on monetary conditions of bail that are going to lead to detainment?” said Chevrier.

On a separate track, county officials launched a committee to consider bail reform last year but have yet to make any changes.

Matthew Richmond is a reporter/producer focused on criminal justice issues at Ideastream Public Media.