The California inmate realignment program, which shifted certain non-serious, non-sexual and non-violent offenders from state prisons to county jails, is still causing challenges at the local level.

Officials at the Sonoma County Jail, for example, say they'll soon be releasing additional people through a pretrial assessment program in order to free up bed space.

Starting on Dec. 1, if the jail feels an offender doesn't pose a risk to public safety, that they are unlikely to commit new crimes and they are likely going to appear at their court date, bail bonds may not be needed.

The defendants will still need to be arraigned before that decision is made.  Ultimately, if the jail feels they can free up room to hold the most serious offenders while maintaining public safety, they are all for it.

Opponents of the switch say the only thing this program will serve to do is increase the failure to appear rate.   Defendants who know a friend or family member will be on the hook if they skip court are far more likely to handle their case.

Jailers disagree, saying the program is mostly geared toward those who can't afford to hire a bondsman.   Judges already allow some OR releases, but on Dec. 1st, those numbers will have the ability to be expanded.

Those arrested for a wide variety of lower-level crimes will be looked at, according to a spokesperson, furthering those offenses could span everything from drunk in public to domestic battery.

On the flip side of that coin, people who are in custody on a probation violation or who have been charged with a violent or serious offense will not be eligible.

County officials estimate their new pre-trial release program will cost about $1.5 million during the first 12-months, since they'll need to hire more staff, buy new equipment and renovate office space.

State grant funding will be used to help offset those costs.

Read the full story here:  Sonoma County likely to release low-level inmates ealier