Defendants in the Tarrant County pretrial release program pay a fraction of what they would pay a bail bondsmen to get out of jail.
The reduced fee is $20, or 3 percent of the original bail bond amount, whichever is greater.Even at that discount, Tarrant Pretrial Services will work with defendants who can't pay, said Director Michelle Brown.Her office may consider other arrangements, such as a pay plan, she said.Judges aren't involved in that decision, she said. Tarrant County's 20 county and district criminal court judges said that if a defendant struggles to pay, they're not made aware."Decisions regarding payment are rarely brought to the court's attention and are apparently made internally in the pretrial release office," according to judges' written response to questions from the Star-Telegram.However, if defendants seeking jail release ask that fees be waived or reduced, state law requires a judge's authorization.Other Texas agencies with pretrial release programs say they also have payment plans."We do work with people on that,'' said Irma Guerrero, pretrial division director for Travis County. "We try to collect whatever we can. If they need a little bit more time, we give them that. We give them extra days."Harris County sometimes includes the fee as part of court costs that are paid at the end of a case, said Dennis Potts, assistant director of Harris County Pretrial Services.The law, which sets up program fees, states that the fees collected must be deposited in the county treasury.Yamil Berard, 817-390-7705Twitter: @yberardHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
