In early April, the state of California imposed a zero-cash bail policy meant to reduce jail populations to curb the spread of COVID-19 in corrections facilities. A sheriff denounced the mandate and claimed it 'ignores victims and favors criminals' during a Friday interview. 

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims spoke with Laura Ingraham, host of Fox's The Ingraham Angle, where she compared the zero-bail policy to a get-out-of-jail-free card. She claimed the state government did not take into consideration the efforts the counties had done to prevent a coronavirus outbreak in jails. Mims also said the officials imposed the mandate to put out arraignment dates. 

According to the law, individuals who are in law enforcement custody are required to be arraigned within a few hours. The policy allows officers to set the date out. Courts which have been forced to close by the COVID-19 lockdown would need the extra time for arraignments for people who were arrested. 

Mims said she believes the zero-dollar bail will cause more harm to the United States' justice system. She cited cases of criminals arrested for auto theft, assault, or abuse were immediately released from jails and were only given a citation to appear. 

Over 711 suspected criminals were released on $0 bail as of Thursday. Eighty-seven reportedly ended up back in police custody. 

In May, Fremont Police Sergeant Ricardo Cortes said he arrested a 37-year-old man named Marcell Washington for the third time for three separate incidents. Washington was arrested for allegedly punching three strangers in the face for no reason on May 11. 

In Alameda, police officers reportedly cuffed Waseen Abuwaidi at least seven times for separate crimes. For his seventh offence, he carjacked an Amazon driver in Dublin. 

In Glendora, police arrested a man three times in a span of twelve hours for stealing cars and other property. The first arrest happened after officers received a call about a man allegedly trying to break into vehicles. The man drove off in the stolen vehicle when the police arrived. He was later arrested and was found with stolen property and illegal drugs. 

An hour after he was released, the police received a tip about a man who carried a box with stolen items belonging to residents living near the Bennett and Pennsylvania neighborhood. Officers showed up and issued him a second citation. 

Later in the evening, police responded to another reported of a stolen vehicle from a parking lot in South Grand Avenue. They chased the driver on the 10 Freeway and caught up to him in Pasadena. He was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle but was later released after being issued a citation. 

The United States has over 2.3 million inmates in its 5,000 jails and prisons. According to the justice department, nearly 200,000 people aged 55 and above are still behind bars. As of mid-April, more than 16,000 prisoners were granted an early release due to the virus.

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