One of our biggest goals when we opened back in 1989 was to make sure that we could reach every major jail and prison in Washington State. That means having bail agents and offices across the entire state. 30 years later, we have at least one location near every major jail in Washington State.
In August, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief proposing an adjustment to pre-trial bail policy for defendants who cannot afford to pay for their release. Following an arrest (but before the first hearing occurs), if an alleged offender is granted bail, said person has the option to pay a predetermined dollar amount that guarantees they will appear in court at a specified date and time. Last month’s filing claims that fixed cash bail amounts can be unfairly restrictive for people with no or little income, who the Department of Justice argues should not be denied the same opportunity for pre-hearing release as those with a greater economic advantage.
Washington State’s reputation as a political and social mover and shaker is no secret, and its position at the forefront of prison reform is no exception. For more than a decade, the Washington State Department of Corrections has teamed with Evergreen State College to implement the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) in each of Washington State’s twelve state prisons, bringing science, nature and education inside the gates. The project intends to take positive advantage of inmates’ jail time by teaching the core tenets of ecological conservation, sustainable operations and community influence. In 2014, the project hit a benchmark when it hosted a prison reform TEDx talk inside Monroe Correctional Complex -- the second in-prison TED event in history. The SPP has since taken root as the spearhead of state efforts toward prison reform, due in part to the ongoing Science and Sustainability Lecture Series.
South King County law enforcement officers and residents are not happy that all suspects arrested in South King County after 5pm must be transported all the way to the King County Jail in downtown Seattle because 24 hour booking is not budgeted at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, Washington. Currently, anyone booked in South King County between the hours of 5pm and 8am must be taken to Seattle, a trip that not only keeps South King County police officers out of their cities' streets during the hours they're most needed but also makes traveling to court or jail difficult for family members or lawyers.
When the Maleng Regional Justice Center opened in Kent, Washington, South King County was excited to get a jail and court facility closer to home. Driving to Seattle from the South end of King County had long been a burden for residents of cities like Auburn, Maple Valley, Covington, or Enumclaw. The reasons residents might need to go to a justice center are many, and not necessarily criminal; though they might need to go to face trial, residents also are required to make the journey for providing testimony, performing jury duty, engaging in civil trials, visiting prisoners or clients in holding, and more.
The Whatcom County Jail in Bellingham, Washington is overcrowded, and cities like Ferndale, Washington (in Whatcom County north of Bellingham) have started reducing the number of people they’re willing to arrest, trying to bring into custody only those “who need to be taken off the streets immediately,” said Ferndale Police Chief Michael Knapp.
Youth prisons have been a hot topic in King County since the tear-down of the outdated Children and Family Justice Center on 12th Avenue and Alder Street in Capitol Hill, one of Seattle’s most central neighborhoods. The construction of a new facility was hotly debated, though ultimately passed.
When you’re convicted of a crime in both Washington State and the rest of America, part of your sentencing includes the assignment of Legal Financial Obligations—LFOs. There is a wide array of fines, fees, and expenses associated with criminal justice in America, even for things we expect to be “free” in the sense that they’re funded by the taxpayers.
In this day and age, it’s easy to forget all about collect calls, which were pretty much the territory of payphones before they went extinct But our cellphone culture doesn’t exist inside jail, where collect calls are still the norm, and it’s important to know how that system works in case you’re ever arrested.
In the American judicial system, a major determinant of whether or not a defendant is granted bail, and how high that bail is, is whether or not they are considered a flight risk. But how does a judge determine their level of risk?
New law by Oregon federal judge has ruled immigrants in Oregon, Colorado and Washington can no longer be held against their will.
Affordable Care Act effects Washington jails by setting up inmates scheduled for release within 30 days to have health care coverage.
Pierce County in debate for new jail, no resolution was made yet. Pierce County is talking about remodeling their current jail to house more inmates.
Benton County Sheriff's Offices acknowledge All City Bail Bonds for their wonderful honest work.
Inmate deaths in Snohomish County are catching headlines. Read on for details.....