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Fifth Circuit Solicitor tells Richland County committee bond reform, staffing and warrants drive jail population rise
Summary
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gibson told the Richland County Detention Center ad hoc committee that pandemic-era releases, a bond-reform statute and heavy caseloads have contributed to increased jail populations. He urged more prosecutors and support staff; county administrators also described infrastructure and staffing-standard concerns.
Byron Gibson, the Fifth Circuit solicitor, told the Richland County Detention Center ad hoc committee that a mix of pandemic-era case handling, recent bond reforms and staffing shortages have contributed to rising detainee numbers at the county jail.
"When I took office in 2019, the jail numbers were about 900 or so," Gibson said, describing a pandemic-related decline and a subsequent rise tied in part to a bond-reform statute he referenced as 17-15-55. He said the statute revokes bond if a defendant previously released on bond is rearrested on certain violent- or firearm-related felonies, which has led to more people being held in custody while their cases proceed.
Gibson presented comparative numbers for nearby…
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