TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Aug 1, 2022

Nearly eight months after the American Civil Liberties Union and Shelby County advocacy groups threatened to sue the county for its bail and pretrial detention practices, the county is poised to change those practices and create a bail hearing room for arrestees. According to the Commercial Appeal, the county commission will consider the proposal at a meeting on Wednesday. If approved, the county would fund a $2 million bail hearing room and agree to only impose bail on arrestees if their release on recognizance or unsecured bail would not "reasonably assure” their return to court. Judicial commissioners also would be required to consider an individual’s ability to pay when determining bail.