Certain Ventura County jail inmates could be released under emergency rule
Megan DiskinIn an effort decrease jail populations, certain Ventura County inmates could be released from custody under an emergency rule lowering bail to $0 for most misdemeanors and low-level felonies.
The California Judicial Council unanimously voted to implement an emergency bail schedule for these offenses during an emergency meeting Monday over the COVID-19 pandemic. By 5 p.m. April 13, the new bail amounts must be enforced for those arrested going forward on these offenses and for inmates being held in jail awaiting trial on them.
The council, the policymaking body of the courts system, has been fielding questions and comments from local jurisdictions working to address social distancing requirements. The size of local jail populations and the virus' spread in those facilities was among them.
Justice Marsha Slough, chairwoman of the council's executive and planning committee, said the change is meant to strike a balance between public safety and public health. While there are some exceptions, most misdemeanors and low-level felonies are covered by the $0 bail rule, Slough said at the meeting.
"Serious and violent offenders, domestic violence sex offenses, restraining order violations and certain gun offenses are some of the charges that would remain at the current local bail schedule," Slough said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's March 27 executive order allows the state judicial council to make these statewide changes during the public health crisis.
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The Ventura County Sheriff's Office, which oversees the county's main jail in Ventura and Todd Road jail near Santa Paula, is working to identify the inmates eligible for the new bail.
To accomplish that, Sheriff's Capt. Mike Beckett said jail officials are going through the files of incarcerated people who have not been sentenced. There are hundreds of files to look through and it's unclear how many could be released, Beckett said.
"We should have a much clearer picture in a day or two," Beckett said by email.
In Ventura County, law enforcement officers have already been using discretion to cite people suspected of misdemeanor offenses, rather than take them to jail. That in conjunction with other measures taken by sheriff's officials overseeing the jails has reduced the inmate population.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no Ventura County jail inmate has tested positive for the virus. However, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said a deputy working in the detention services division has contracted COVID-19.
Sheriff's Capt. Eric Buschow, a spokesman for the agency, said the test result came in Monday. The deputy went into self-quarantine as soon as the symptoms came about.
The county's largest law enforcement agency is now working to figure out who may have come in contact with the deputy, including staff and inmates, Buschow said.
Authorities there are also looking for guidance from local health officials about who should be tested given the circumstances.
Even before the deputy tested positive for COVID-19, the health of staff working in the sheriff's office has been monitored during the pandemic, Buschow said.
Megan Diskin is a courts and breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach her at megan.diskin@vcstar.com or 805-437-0258.