The Inequities of Miami-Dade’s Pre-trial Release System
The Judge says “CTS plus court costs” into the large TV monitor linked from the courtroom in the Gerstein Criminal Justice building to the chapel at the Miami-Dade County jail. In just a matter of seconds, each of the hundreds of recently arrested defendants must choose between “credit for time served” so they can go home to their jobs and/or families and getting a bond and fighting the charges. In Miami-Dade County, there were a total of 20,112 defendants who attended felony bond hearings during the 2007-08 fiscal year. With so many cases, the court has little time for each one, and since indigent defendants and the public defender are in different buildings, consultation with one’s attorney is limited at best.
