A federal judge on Tuesday barred St. Louis jails from holding inmates simply because they can’t pay bail. She granted class action status to inmates who sued.

U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig’s ruling gives officials a week to hold new detention hearings for current inmates in the city’s two jails and says new arrestees must have a hearing within 48 hours of their arrest. Inmates can still be held, Fleissig wrote, if they are a danger to the community or if there is no other way to ensure they show up for court. 

…Lawyers for the inmates say some go days or weeks without being granted a hearing to reduce their bond. Inmates suffer physical and mental consequences for their prolonged detention in inhumane jail conditions, and lose jobs, homes and family connections, the lawsuit says.

…”Ample evidence in the record shows that the duty judge presiding over initial appearances rarely considers information about an arrestee’s financial circumstances because the bond commissioner rarely provides it and arrestees are instructed not to speak,” Fleissig wrote, referring to sheriff’s deputies who tell inmates not to talk or request a bond reduction at their first appearance in court.

…There’s no evidence, she continued, that bail is more effective than other means of ensuring court appearances and public safety.

Judge rules that St. Louis jails can’t hold inmates who can’t pay | Law and order | stltoday.com

hmmmm