Of the 50 hearings observed in the month of August, prosecutors asked that the defendant be held without bond (HWOB), meaning kept in jail until their trial, in more than four out of five hearings, or about 82 percent of the time. In 6 percent of the hearings, prosecutors asked for other actions. In two of those hearings, the prosecutor deferred to the court as to where the defendant should live until trial.
In those same 50 hearings, judges ordered the defendant to stay in jail until trial in almost two out of every three hearings, or about 64 percent of the time. This finding is quite an increase from the past two months. Perhaps it is due to math or perhaps it is due to judicial discretion, or perhaps it’s both, or more. With time and deeper analysis, we hope to bring you more insight. Stay tuned.