KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Kalamazoo County’s jail population is down.
It has decreased from about 370 a few months ago to a little over 300 now.
One reason is because the circuit court has been able to cut into the backlog of cases for serious charges that built up during the pandemic, when trials were suspended.
Another is because of an innovative program that covers the cost of tether equipment for indigent offenders being held on less serious charges.
County Administrator Kevin Catlin says sometimes it takes more than just a good idea, it takes funding, so he asked the Kalamazoo Foundation to help.
Community Corrections director Ken Bobo says the indigent equipment fund is not just a savings for taxpayers, it’s also a question of social justice.
He says not everyone gets off without paying. Chronic offenders who have cut off tethers in the past or pose a flight risk, will still have to pay a deposit, even if they are indigent.
That was a lesson they learned in the first year of the program.
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