Zero bail policy in effect in Los Angeles County

But Supervisor Holly Mitchell said the zero-bail system taking effect Sunday does not mean criminals are escaping punishment for their offenses.

Arrestees who are believed to present a heightened threat to the public or be a flight risk will be referred to a magistrate judge, who will review the case and determine whether the person should be held in custody pending arraignment or released under non-financial restrictions such as electronic monitoring.

The new system is borne from long-held criticism that cash bail favored the rich, meaning well-heeled people arrested for even the most serious of crimes could pay their way out of jail, while low-income people languished behind bars for far lesser offenses. The new system is based not on cash, but on the risk an offender presents to public safety or the possibility the person might fail to appear in court.

But the idea of zero-bail has generated public safety questions -- with some county supervisors noting Tuesday their offices have been swamped with calls from residents concerned about the system, particularly following a recent wave of mob-style smash-and-grab burglaries and reports of suspects in those crimes being arrested but then quickly released, only to commit new crimes.

A report prepared by the county last year analyzing the impacts of the pandemic-era zero-bail policy concluded that "rates of failure to appear in court and of rearrest or new offenses remained either below or similar to their historical average." Echoing Mitchell's comments, Slayton flatly denied the new system means there are no consequences for crime, noting that people who fail to appear in court, re-offend while on release or violate their release conditions will be subject to arrest and jail.

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