Shelby County Lead Judicial Commissioner John Marshall said a new law that makes public safety a primary factor in setting bail has a “large impact” on a judicial commissioner’s decision-making. 

Previously, when making bail decisions, judicial officers weighed several factors — including the nature of an offense, the likely sentence it carries and the probability of conviction — against whether a defendant was at risk of not appearing for their court date. Now they weigh those factors against a defendant’s potential flight risk and in relation to the safety of the community.

“So we feel like that that gives us a little more teeth, if you will, in our decision making,” Marshall said.