Rearrest rates up since standing bail order implemented
Though the overall increase was small, rearrest rates increased more rapidly for misdemeanors than for felonies.
There are 19 article(s) tagged judicial commissioners:
Though the overall increase was small, rearrest rates increased more rapidly for misdemeanors than for felonies.
Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court Division 8 Judge Lee Wilson, who also runs the county’s drug court program, is the new leader for the commissioners.
“The secrecy in which the Judicial Commissioners and judges work astounds me, since they are a primary party to the crime wave destroying Memphis.”
Here is some information about each of the 14 judicial commissioners, which The Daily Memphian compiled from Shelby County government’s personnel records.
The work of judicial commissioners has come under public scrutiny after a new Standing Bail Order took effect earlier this year, but “we feel we have a good bench of people with criminal law experience,” said Shelby County Lead Judicial Commissioner John Marshall.Related story:
In the second part in a two-part interview with The Daily Memphian, Shelby County’s Lead Judicial Commissioner John Marshall discusses the controversy surrounding affordable bail.
“Different parts of the criminal justice system tend to operate in silos, and so an easily accessible, easy to understand, transparent reporting system will require the cooperation of many different parties. The public deserves it.”
The bill requires trial court and general sessions court judges to set bail for certain violent felonies.
The Shelby County Commission have appointed five more judicial commissioners as the criminal court system gears up for a new round-the-clock bail court.
The resolution, which would ask the Tennessee Legislature and Gov. Bill Lee to change state law, is an alternative to a registry of rental property owners.
With no discussion, the commission sent the ordinance back to committee for more discussion. Meanwhile, the commission set dates for appointing four more judicial commissioners.
The Commission Scorecard looks at critical votes and decisions at the Sept. 26 meeting, including a second grant this year for Choices: Memphis Center for Reproductive Health and appointing four new judicial commissioners.
The four new commissioners fill all vacancies in the ranks of the entry point for many defendants in the criminal justice system. The Shelby County Commission also set dates for filling a vacancy on the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board.
At the second meeting of the new term of office Monday, Sept. 26, county commissioners appoint three new judicial commissioners and set the dates for filling a Memphis-Shelby County Schools board seat.
The ongoing discussion and debate were also present Wednesday, Sept. 21, as commissioners interviewed 30 attorneys who have applied to fill three vacant positions for judicial commissioners.
The Shelby County Commission that took office this month has three judicial commissioners to appoint. It’s part of a chain reaction from the dozens of judicial races decided on the August ballot.
The new court is expected to hold full hearings on bail requests; its creation was prompted by threats of a lawsuit over the way bail is handled in Shelby County and the success of a similar lawsuit in another jurisdiction.
Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich talked on “Behind The Headlines” of her concerns about guidelines judicial commissioners use in determining who should be released while they await trial and the second take on a juvenile assessment center.
The County Commission Scorecard highlights the commission’s choice of a new judicial commissioner and a call for U.S. Justice Department review of Juvenile Court and possibly a return to the federal oversight of the court that ended three years ago.
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