Shelby County District Attorney announces new bail system measure

SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. - On Thursday, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and Mayor Lee Harris announced an added component to the bail system.

This change makes it so that all of a suspect’s prior offenses are considered by the judicial commissioner from the very beginning.

“It's no secret that there's been a fair amount of public concern of late over the bail system,” said Mulroy during a news conference.

Public safety has been top of mind amidst reports of violent offenders re-offending after bonding out of jail or being released without bail.

“We need to do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen. The public has to know that public safety is our absolute, unconditional priority,” said Mulroy.

He said this will be done by adding extra information in the pre-trial services assessment. It’s a packet that each judicial commissioner is given with info on the defendant.

“Under the current system, the only written information provided just says total number of misdemeanor convictions, total number of felony convictions. It doesn't say the felony conviction was for aggravated assault or the misdemeanor conviction was for simple assault or shoplifting,” he said.

Now it will also list each and every misdemeanor or felony charge the person has previously been convicted of.

FOX13 asked Mulroy why this wasn’t already in place.

“You know, I’d say ask the judicial commissioners. You know, I’ve long believed that we should have full information about criminal histories at this stage of the process.”

Mulroy said he expects this to be in place as soon as Friday.

He added that there are early discussions to try to put a similar measure in place at the juvenile level.