INDIANAPOLIS — Criminal justice officials say a new Indiana rule requiring that booked inmates be assessed to determine the risks or benefits of releasing them before trial is expected to eventually reduce overcrowding at the state’s county jails.
Criminal Rule 26 was adopted by the Indiana Supreme Court in 2017 but it didn’t take effect statewide until Jan. 1.
The new system requires that all inmates be released on bond or recognizance unless they present a "substantial risk of flight or danger to themselves or others."
It also mandates that an evidence-based risk assessment be used to help make that determination.
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