Sheriff Kirk Taylor is focusing on defendants still waiting on a trial. They make up more than half of the jail's population, which is already housing 137 more inmates than its capacity of 509. 90 are waiting to be charged with misdemeanors; 186 of those felonies.
Bernadette Lopez was just released from jail and experienced the overcrowding firsthand. "It's just ridiculous," she says. "It's just out of control. They have ten of us all crowded in one room. The toilets are broke. The facilities are just, it's just out of control."
The sheriff is working on a case based off of community research to reach letting defendants wait for trial at home. He says, "If you incarcerate people on low-risk crimes, they are 70% more likely to recidivate. We