Travis County judges have been releasing inmates charged with criminal offenses to reduce the chance of the new coronavirus spreading in the county jail and harming people with existing health conditions.
Statistics from the local office of court administration show criminal court judges on Friday approved 71 personal bonds, up from 46 on each of the two previous Fridays.
The reason each bond was granted for was not provided, but the 35% increase from a week earlier coincided with news Friday of the first two positive tests for COVID-19 in Austin. The escalating threat, judges and attorneys say, prompted defense attorneys to seek relief for inmates who are thought to be particularly vulnerable to getting sick.
The number of people in Austin known to have the virus grew to six on Sunday. None of them are in the jail, where the staff plans to quarantine anyone who shows symptoms of the disease, according to sheriff’s office spokeswoman Kristen Dark. Fees will also be waived for anyone seeking medical attention for a respiratory illness, Dark said.
The jail on Monday had 2,164 inmates, down by 97 from a week before. On March 9 — the first working day after the city canceled South by Southwest and issued a local disaster declaration over coronavirus concerns — judges approved 82 personal bonds, an increase of nearly 50% from the previous week.
State District Judge Julie Kocurek said she authorized four personal bonds on Friday for non-violent inmates with severe health issues.
Kocurek said she previously denied bonds for those four defendants but reconsidered after “balancing this pandemic and public health safety of inmates against what they’re charged with.”
A defendant released from jail on a personal bond agrees to appear at all court settings in their case and to comply with any conditions imposed by the judge, like curfews or GPS monitoring.
“I felt like their health was most important,” Kocurek said.
Defense attorney Stefanie Collins said she secured a personal bond from Kocurek for a client with a significant health issue. The client, a man in his mid 30s, faces a state jail felony charge for theft and a probation revocation in a misdemeanor theft case.
“Being in a confined space with people who are coming and going from the jail, I thought he needed to be in a safer environment,” she said.
Attorney Jason Trumpler said he also got a bond from Kocurek for a client with a significant health issue. The man is facing drug charges.
“Obviously, we need to get those inmates out and have them released to some place safer with whatever conditions that are satisfactory to the judge,” Trumpler said.
The criminal courts have stopped conducting jury trials through May 8 and have also put other case settings on hold to eliminate nonessential traffic in the courthouse.
On Monday, Travis County District Attorney candidate Jos Garza called on law enforcement to end making arrests and filings for misdemeanors and state jail felonies unless there is a risk to public safety. Garza also called on the county to release inmates who do not pose a significant safety risk.
District Attorney Margaret Moore released a statement Monday with a veiled shot at Garza, saying “now is not the time for politics.” The two are squaring off in the May 26 Democratic runoff.
Moore said her office has been in communication with defense attorneys to expedite plea negotiations to resolve cases when appropriate.
“As always, jail cases are the priority,” Moore said. “It has been and continues to be the policy of this office to work with the judges to see that only those who pose a risk to public safety remain in our jail. The coronavirus does not affect that policy — it only affects how we make sure our processes are conducted safely.”
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