COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado judge says defendants who have been held in jail because they can't afford a $55 county fee for pre-trial services must be released if they have been granted a personal recognizance bond.
William Bain, El Paso County's top judge, signed the order Wednesday about a week after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on behalf 26-year-old Jasmine Still, who spent 27 days in jail after a judge approved her release on such a bond.
A personal recognizance bond serves as a written promise to appear in court.
Still, of Colorado Springs, says she pleaded guilty to a drug charge so she could get out of jail quickly and fight for custody of her children.
The fee helps provide pre-trial supervision.
The Gazette reports the ACLU plans to continue its fight to win damages for Still.
