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| Over 200 inmates may be released |
| By The Oakland Press |
| Published: 08/18/2005 |
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More than 200 inmates could be given early release from the Oakland County, Mich., Jail as early as Friday in order to ease jail overcrowding and satisfy state law. Oakland County Circuit Court Chief Judge Wendy Potts said Wednesday she plans to give a list to the county sheriff on Friday of inmates she has determined are a low risk to public safety. State law requires sentence reductions when a jail exceeds its rated capacity for a period of time. It's up to Potts to make the final decision on how many are released and by what percentages their sentences are reduced. Overcrowding has been a chronic problem at the county jail for several years, but this is the first time the early release law has been put into effect. The jail's rated capacity is 1,828 inmates, and that triggered an overcrowding state of emergency when the jail population exceeded that for seven days earlier this month. The sheriff had until Aug. 16 to reduce the population to 1,803 and was unable to, triggering the state's early release law. The ambiguous law with a complicated formula gives Potts the option of releasing between 46 and 201 inmates early based on the jail's population, said Sheriff Michael Bouchard. Releasing a smaller number early may not resolve the overcrowding situation. Bouchard said 134 county inmates are in jails outside the county and another 102 are in temporary holding cells. Inmates also have slept on the jail's gymnasium floor. |
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