On Friday, the Memphis-based organization Just City allocated $50,000 for securing the release of minor offenders through bail payments. This initiative was taken in memory of 33-year-old Rockez McDaniel who tragically passed away while in custody at the Shelby County jail, waiting for his arraignment hearing.
Previously, McDaniel was detained for misdemeanor charges which included an attempt to flee. The arrest was made incidentally to a call pertaining to mental health concerns. Court documents confirm that McDaniel, reportedly, contradicted the law enforcement by attempting evasion after his detainment.
During the apprehension, McDaniel supposedly attempted to push an officer in order to elude arrest, after which he was immobilized with a taser by the officers. Following this incident, he made another attempt to escape, this time from the Regional One Hospital where he was taken for a medical examination, the specifics of which were not disclosed.
Subsequent to his medical examination at the hospital, McDaniel was taken to the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center, also recognized by its address, 201 Poplar. Oddly, his arraignment hearing never occurred, nor was any legal counsel appointed to him. He remained in custody for a week leading up to his unfortunate demise. His bail was set at $1,000, an amount he could not afford for securing his release, as per Just City’s explanation.
According to the reports from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, McDaniel faced a ‘medical emergency’ while in jail and passed away on July 28. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is currently probing the events leading to his death. An autopsy has been commissioned, yet the results remain undisclosed by TBI.
In reaction to these unfortunate events, Just City, in alliance with local organizations, initiated the ‘Rockez McDaniel Bailout’. This program involves an emergency allocation of $50,000 from Just City’s Memphis Community Bail Fund. The bailout plan aspires to assist individuals who have been in jail for approximately a week without any significant progression in their cases.
Just City’s routine practice is to pay a maximum bail of $4,000 per individual, a standard usually applicable for lesser charges. Additionally, it performs due diligence on the nature of the charges and the person’s past record before disbursing any bail funds. The operation of this process involves numerous internal checks.
In lieu of the recent incident, Just City along with its associated entities, has made a threefold request to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. The first demand is to devise a training plan and allocate necessary personnel and tools towards the jail’s intake and release departments. This is aimed to decrease the booking duration down to 36 hours by the start of September, and further taper down to 25 hours by the end of 2025.
Secondly, a protocol for daily monitoring of the jail’s roster is proposed, so that individuals who have not been brought before the court or assigned legal counsel within 48 hours of their detention could be identified. The aim here is to ensure all inmates have their court appearance within 72 hours from the moment of booking.
Lastly, the third demand calls for a plan to reroute individuals diagnosed with mental health issues to available resources, within 24 hours of their arrival. The ultimate objective with this demand is to completely prevent individuals suffering mental health crises from being booked into the jail, starting from January 1.
A spokesperson from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, however, has not yet responded to these matters. In reference to court records, McDaniel’s hearing was originally scheduled for July 21, a day following his arrest. Unfortunately, neither the scheduled arraignment nor the mandatory bail hearing review transpired. The hearing was successively rescheduled to the dates of July 22 and July 28, before its final delay to July 29.
In the interim, McDaniel lost his life. It is noteworthy to mention that the Sheriff’s Office put forward a news release four days before McDaniel’s death, advocating for resources for a new jail facility. The release mentioned the challenges faced due to an increase in bookings, judicial lags, and delays in the state transfers of inmates who have been convicted and sentenced.
According to the jail’s website information, the facility employs a mental health team, which includes a director and part-time mental health experts. But it remains unclear if McDaniel was provided with any professional mental health resources or treatments during his custody.
The post Just City Commits $50k Bail Fund in Memory of Rockez McDaniel appeared first on Real News Now.
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