News: Washington Bail Reform
View excerpts and links to media stories related to the Bail Reform issue in the state of Washington. All news article link to their respective news sources.
Man accused of killing girlfriend while on pretrial release charged with assaulting her earlier
Alaimo was arrested and while police recommended that a high bail be set for Alaimo due to his extensive criminal history and being a documented Sureño gang member, Yakima County Superior Court Judge Jared Boswell went with the pretrial services recommendation to release him on supervision by court staff during a Sept. 5 preliminary appearance hearing. Boswell also ordered Alaimo to have no contact with England and not come within 1,000 feet of her.
Yakima Herald-Republic
A veteran Los Angeles County prosecutor scolded his boss Thursday, saying his progressive reforms and management style have alienated his colleagues and turned the nation’s largest district attorney’s office into a “managerial dumpster fire.” In a lengthy letter to District Attorney George Gascón and his top aides, prosecutor Mark Burnley aired a number of grievances on his last day with the office. Burnley said he has been with the DA’s office since 1999 and a prosecutor for 28 years.
Fox11
» Read A Letter from Jaime Herrera
Seattle small business owner burglarized eight times sounds alarm on crime: ‘I can’t do it anymore’
Maher Youssef says he was burglarized twice in one week and the police had delayed response times because of staffing shortages.
Fox News
Seattle City Council mulls law that could result in dismissal of many misdemeanor crimes
The Seattle City Council is considering new legislation that would create a legal loophole that would make substance addiction, mental illness or poverty a valid legal defense for nearly all misdemeanor crimes committed in the city. The council’s consideration of the plan has occurred with virtually no public discussion about the proposal, which has been included in the municipal budgeting process. The council has not, so far, conducted a standalone meeting to discuss the idea.
KOMO
Dozens of King County prosecutors want office to ignore some burglary, drug and assault cases
A group of King County prosecutors who are part of a working group on race and social justice has a long list of crimes they believe the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office should decline to file charges on, including in some cases when officers are assaulted. According to a letter obtained by Q13 News and signed by dozens of current King County deputy prosecutors, the group also wants to change the influence and input law enforcement has on criminal cases.
Q13 Fox
Washington State Governor Unleashes Wave Two Of The Coronavirus: 1,100 Hardened Offenders Walking Out Of Prison
American Bail Coalition
We always hesitate to get into prison issues, because our mission is to guarantee the right to bail and also ensure accountability as part of that process. But in the case of Washington state, after following prison and jail releases due to the threat of COVID-19, we agreed to discuss the issue of releases after a media request. Why, you ask? Read on.
After conducting our research, what we discovered is another head scratcher involving yet again the seemingly impossible attempt to use state power to completely regulate the human organism. Another truly pathetic attempt to convince ourselves of wacky ideas, that, when sprinkled with a little groupthink, instantaneously hit social media and become truth ….
