LEE COUNTY: A program that could save you money and cut overcrowding in jails is in jeopardy. The program is called Pretrial Release. It allows non-violent offenders to stay out of jail while waiting for their court dates. And one group stands to gain greatly if the program goes away.
Each inmate processed, finger-printed, and fed at Lee County's Detention Center costs taxpayers $82 a day. That's nearly $5-million a month to care for about 2,000 inmates.
Court administrators say a program called Pretrial Release prevents that cost from increasing.
"It does have that great benefit to it. If you're finding people who are safe to be out of the jail, who meet the criteria set forth, it works out very well in terms of saving money," says Sheila Mann, spokeswoman with the 20th Judicial Circuit.
Mann says Pretrial Release allows non-violent offenders, who meet strict guidelines, an opportunity to wait for their court-date out of jail.
The fewer people waiting in jail means taxpayers pay less to keep the jail running.
Not everyone thinks the program is a good solution. State Senator John Thrasher believes the private industry can do what Pretrial Release does, at no cost to taxpayers.
He's pushing a proposed law that would strictly limit the number of people who qualify for Pretrial Release.
"I believe it's about saving taxpayers money. Some folks came to me about this issue and I believe it's the right thing to do," said Thrasher.
The folks who came to him were bail bondsmen.
According to the bill's own cost analysis, "bail bonds agents are likely to see an increase in revenues if the bill becomes law."
Basically, the fewer people who would qualify for Pretrial Release could mean more would have to pay a bondsman to get out jail.
Many taxpayers we spoke to just want to know why they should care.
If defendants can't afford to post a bond, they sit in jail longer and that costs taxpayers money.
Increased jail population is just part of the problem. Pretrial services say their biggest concern is safety.
"It's all about public safety. They can find things in someone's background or in interviewing them that sends up a red flag that they need to wait for a judge to see them, and the judge can assess the situation," said Mann.
Bondsman Wayne Spath agrees safety is the top priority He said, "For the most part, we get our people to court. Bottom-line, or we wouldn't be in business."
Spath owns Perkins Bail Bonds in Fort Myers.
"We make sure they go to court. Read the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Go read what it says," he said.
So, we did.
While the justice department study shows more pretrial defendants re-offend than those out on bond and fewer people show up to court, it's based on national figures.
That's not the case in Lee County. According to Lee County's Clerk's Office, nearly seven percent of offenders out on bond failed to appear at their first court hearing; compared to four percent under Pretrial Release.
Spath calls the program "a get out of jail free card" for defendants waiting for court-dates. The courts say that's an unfair claim from a private industry that stands to gain.
WZVN Channel 7
