Hundreds of individuals accused of violent crimes were reportedly freed on their own recognizance in Spokane County, Washington, as officials are trying to crack down on criminal activity.
The Spokesman-Review on Sunday detailed cases in which three men were among numerous others accused of such crimes, noting they were freed from jail once they promised to reappear in court.
The outlet said the situation has caused the county sheriff and Spokane police chief deep frustration and concern for quite some time.
The article continued:
Records obtained by The Spokesman-Review show that people accused of violent crimes such as rape, molesting children, making death threats, assaults and vehicular homicide were set free on their own recognizance. This has happened 665 times in Spokane County from Jan. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30.
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Washington law says everyone arrested and accused of a crime is presumed innocent and subject to release – but judges have to consider the scope of what’s in the law. That consideration is subjective and up to the discretion of the individual judge.
One of the cases the newspaper detailed was that of Daniel Silva, who allegedly slashed a coworker in the face with a handsaw. However, officials released him from jail a few hours later without bond.
In July, KREM reported the crime rate in Washington state has grown with one of the biggest being property crime.
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels cited two policy changes when speaking of the issue, the outlet stated:
Firstly, a reduction in the state’s prison population has resulted in many repeat felons spending less than a year in jail, and some never make it to prison. Sheriff Nowels expressed concern over this development, saying, “We now have a jail where literally every time we book somebody in, somebody has to come out the other side. Full on, 14 percent of the people we book never see the inside of a jail cell. They’re released before they ever spend a day in jail.”
Secondly, the state legislature has lowered minimum sentences for many crimes, leading to increased leniency in sentencing. As a result, people with multiple repeat felonies are facing reduced consequences.
It is important to note that one-third of Seattle residents considered leaving the area to move somewhere else, one reason being the crime plaguing the area, Breitbart News reported in July, citing a Seattle Times/Suffolk University poll.
A video report from April shows how law enforcement officers in downtown Spokane were trying to address the crime issue:
When speaking of the hundreds of people accused of violent crimes, then freed on their own recognizance in Spokane County, County Commissioner Al French told the Spokesman-Review, “The data is alarming,” adding officials were working on how they were going to respond to the issue.
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