Whether or not the county builds new jail space into its budget, business in the criminal courts division will go on as usual.
Sedgwick County District Judge Eric Yost, chief of the criminal courts division, said jail space doesn’t figure into decisions on sentencing or bail. We asked Yost if County Manager Bill Buchanan’s recommendation to not put a $54 million jail expansion into next year’s budget would affect the courts.
“We are all well aware of the problem, of course,” Yost said, “but we need to do what we think is appropriate with each case, and hope there is a place to house those who get incarcerated.”
Bond is set by the severity of the crimes and the risk that a defendant will flee.
“Thus, most low-level felony cases and misdemeanors will be able to bond out easily anyway,” Yost said. “Defendants in the more serious cases probably won’t.”