Courts Release Prisoners From L.A. County Jails

Los Angeles County justice partners have identified individuals accused of Misdemeanors and lower-level Felonies eligible for pretrial release on their own recognizance without a court appearance under the terms of an Statewide Emergency Bail Schedule, Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile announced today.

“Justice partners in Los Angeles County are continuing to work with the Court during this unprecedented public health crisis to protect public safety while achieving social distancing inside our courthouses and the jail system,” Presiding Judge Brazile said. “On April 6, 2020, the Judicial Council of California promulgated emergency rules to be used during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Pursuant to Emergency Rule 4, Supervising Criminal Judge Sam Ohta has so far signed 19 orders releasing more than 250 persons eligible for release under the $0 statewide bail schedule.

According to the Orders, the Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, along with Los Angeles County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia, the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender Erika Anzoategui, and Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, have vetted and agreed on lists of cases for which bail will be set at $0 for persons held in custody. Those persons will be released with $0 bail and will be ordered to return to court on a date specified in their Promise to Appear document.

Under the Statewide Emergency Bail Schedule, bail for most Misdemeanor and low- level Felonies is set at $0 with exceptions listed in Emergency Rule 4(c).

Emergency Rule 4(b) states that no later than 5 p.m. on April 13, 2020, each court must apply the Statewide Emergency Bail Schedule to:

• Every accused person arrested and in pre-trial custody; and

• Every accused person held in pretrial custody.

The Court will continue to sign these stipulated requests on an ongoing basis.

For the latest updates on Coronavirus/COVID-19-related impacts to Court operations, please consult the Court’s COVID-19 News Center located at the top of our homepage (www.lacourt.org), and follow us on Twitter (@LASuperiorCourt).