Zero Bail Extended By Santa Clara County Superior Court Until 2022
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- The Santa Clara County Superior Court Bench has voted to extend the emergency zero bail schedule until January 31, 2022, the court announced Wednesday.
The court voted Tuesday to issue the $0 bail schedule extension; Presiding Judge Zayner signed the order requiring bail be set at $0 for all misdemeanor and felony offenses, with exceptions for specific offenses listed in the order.
"The intent of these orders is to attempt to assure the protection of health and safety for individuals working within and interacting with the local court and custodial systems while balancing potential public safety risks attendant to pretrial releases from custody, with or without supervision, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Zayner in a prepared statement.
The statement from the court reiterated it has the discretion to deny bail, to set a higher bail for any offense, including those with a bail of $0, and amend any conditions of release deemed appropriate.
The order has been extended several times since first issued at the start of the pandemic when the COVID cases surged in the county's inmate population. The most recent extension was in January, following a nine-day inmate hunger strike to demand better safety protocols in the jails after cases hit an all-time high.
