JULY / AUGUST 2019 | MOTHER JONES 9room, Kolakowski turns to the prosecu-
tor. “Can we get him released during the
day?” she asks. She lengthens the man’s
anticipated two-day sentence to three to
ensure that he gets out midmorning the
next day, not in the middle of the night.
Legislative efforts to stop late-night
releases have largely been unsuccessful.
In 2011, Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis
proposed ending most nighttime re-
leases after two women were hit by cars
while walking home from jail along free-
ways at night. The bill died after sheriffs
opposed it; a similar measure failed in
- Also in 2011, a federal judge found
that a Washington, DC, ordinance pro-
hibiting releases after 10 p.m. was un-
constitutional because jails were holding
people past their release dates.
A few jails have found ways to mit-
igate the risks of after-dark releases.
Last year, the San Francisco Sheriff ’s
Department distributed more than 850
taxi vouchers to inmates released after
8 p.m. On weekday evenings, it pro-
vides discharged inmates with phone
chargers, hygiene kits, and referrals to
shelters and social workers. The Wash-
ington, DC, jail now makes sure that in-
mates released after 10 p.m. have a ride,
housing, and a seven-day supply of their
prescription medication.
California legislators are currently
considering the Getting Home SafeAct, which is based on recommenda-
tions collected from formerly incarcer-
ated people after St. Louis’ death. Under
the bill, inmates facing late-night re-
lease could choose to stay in jail until
morning. For the many inmates likely
to reject this option, sheriffs must offer
free rides anywhere in the county as
well as a safe place to wait for a ride. The
bill would require free phone calls and
phone-charging stations at jails. Cru-
cially, if an inmate asks to go to a rehab
program, jails would have to bring them
there immediately upon release. And
family members could find out their
loved ones’ release times in advance.
For now, few late-night services exist