A state rule that allowed people who were arrested for minor offenses to be quickly released without paying any bail has been rescinded. The California Judicial Council voted this week, 17-2, to end the “zero-dollar bail” schedule on June 20. In early April, the Judicial Council established a new policy setting bail at zero for most misdemeanor and low-level felonies to keep the jail population lower during the coronavirus crisis. The move led to some complaints from police agencies. There were instances of suspects committing crimes, getting arrested and released and then committing additional crimes in the very same day. Council says zero-dollar bail could be re-instated if health conditions worsen or change. The zero-bail policy was established as California jails and prisons cope with outbreaks of coronavirus among the inmate population. In places like the Terminal Island federal facility in San Pedro, there have been multiple inmate deaths and hundreds of cases among inmates and staff.
