Solicitor-General's FastTracking System Saves County Money

DOUGLAS COUNTY, GA — Douglas County Solicitor-General Matthew Krull implemented a FastTracking system for indigent defendants back in October and he said the system has been saving the county money while getting defendants back to work quicker.

When an individual gets arrested, he/she is booked at the jail and given a bond (which is usually preset
by the court.) Most of the time, that individual either posts a bond with a bonding company or has
someone come post the bond for them. He/she is then released from custody, with the bond ensuring
his/her return to court.

Sometimes, however, an individual is not in a position to make bond, and is forced to sit at the jail. This
issue is one that Krull decided to attack head on and fix. “There is no benefit to the community having these individuals sit in the jail – it costs the county money to incarcerate them – and that individual is unable to work. Also, if the individual was previously employed, he/she could potentially lose that employment if remaining in custody too long,” explained Krull.

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The Solicitor-General went on to state, “There has been much talk in the legislature about the inequities
associated with the bail structure in Georgia. Some legislators want to release individuals without
having them post a bond, which poses questions about how they’ll be required to return to court.
Others favor pretrial supervision, which costs money too. Up until now, no one has done anything to fix
the problem, and in counties throughout the state indigent defendants sit in custody for weeks or
months until they get in front of a judge. I saw the challenge, and solved it.”

In October of 2017, Krull introduced a new program, called “FastTrack,” to address the issue and get
indigent defendants out of custody, often a few days after the arrest. Working with the Sheriff’s Office,
individuals who are unable to post bond are identified, the case is reviewed and investigated, then
assigned to a prosecutor for review. At that point, charges are filed or dismissed, and the individual is
placed on the next available court calendar. Krull explained that finding a calendar to place these
individuals on is not difficult in State Court, where there is court almost daily.

The results, according to Krull, have been astounding. Previously, it could take upwards of 30 or 45 days
to get a case calendared, but the Solicitor’s Office is now getting individuals to court in less than a week
in most instances. The financial savings to the county are substantial – on average it costs $38 a day to
house someone in the county jail. More importantly, explained Krull, is the effect it has on the
individual. “Getting someone out of custody in a week or less allows them to continue with life – not
losing housing or a job, and keeping their family afloat – that’s the most important thing about this
program.”

Additionally, this has given increased attention to those individuals at the jail who are unable to bond
out because of mental health or drug issues. Krull explained the “FastTrack” program allows his office to
identify those in need of services, or perhaps would be good candidates for any of Douglas County’s
Accountability Courts – DUI, Drug, or Mental Health – and get that process started to get the individual
the help he/she needs.

“I couldn’t sit by and wait for the legislature to address the problem. I did it because it’s the right thing
to do.”

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