The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/courts/alternative-courts-bail/)
Both the prosecutor and defender advised pretrial release of Matthew Aldous, who was caught writing graffiti in the city’s historic district. But a judge set his bail at $10,000, effectively placing behind bars an individual who advocates said should have been diverted to mental health services.
Law enforcement-assisted diversion and addiction treatment programs are hailed as common-sense alternatives to incarceration for low-level offenses. But they can create a “treatment industry” that exploits low-income offenders, a conference at John Jay College was told.
After a report criticized his court for setting high money bonds that resulted in a “bloated” local jail population, Kentucky Circuit Court Judge Darren Peckler changed course.