Tennessee Comptroller’s Report Finds Shelby County Bail Practices Have Led to Higher Bonds and Fewer Charge Reductions
Shelby County, TN – The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury recently released its report examining bail reform and charge reductions in the state’s largest counties. The findings confirm that in Shelby County, bond amounts have increased under the current administration—exceeding even Nashville in average bond amounts—while the percentage of reduced charges has actually declined.
The investigation by the Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) was initiated at the request of Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, who sought a comprehensive review of several issues impacting Shelby County’s criminal justice system. These issues included the length of time it takes to resolve cases, the number of crimes committed by individuals awaiting case disposition, discrepancies between charges at the time of arrest and those ultimately prosecuted, and the final outcomes and sentencing of cases. According to OREA’s findings, Shelby County’s significantly higher caseload likely contributes to longer case resolution times. In fact, Shelby County processes more cases than Davidson, Hamilton, and Knox counties combined; yet those three counties collectively have 12 Criminal Court judges, compared to Shelby’s 10—and now just nine as of last year—further straining the system.
Key findings regarding Shelby County include:
Volume. Shelby County has more cases than the next three largest counties combined. (p. 13) Those three counties have a total of 12 Criminal Court judges, compared to Shelby’s 9 (recently reduced from 10 by the State).
Time To Disposition. The largest cause of case delays concerns the defense counsel (p.11). Other significant contributing factors noted are the State’s reduction in judges from 10 to 9, and waiting periods for crime lab testing. (p.13). This is why DA Mulroy has for a long time now called for more local forensic testing options in Shelby County.
Need For Better Data. A key part of the report’s recommendations concerns better data transparency (p.43-45). This is something that DA Mulroy has advocated for since his first day in office.
Higher Bond Amounts: Bail reform efforts have resulted in higher average bond amounts in Shelby County (p.29), despite claims by some to the contrary. Also, only 7% of the cases sampled involved a defendant reoffending while out on bail. (p.16).
Consistency in Charge Decisions: Between 2022 and 2023, 60% of charges filed in Criminal Court remained unchanged. Of the charges that were altered, nearly as many charges were increased as were decreased.
Reduction in Charge Reductions: The percentage of charges reduced has remained relatively steady compared to the pre-pandemic period. Notably, the percentage of charges reduced decreased from the last year of the previous administration (2022) to the current administration’s first full year in office (2023).
Additionally, the OREA report compared significant charge reductions by felony class across the 11 most populated counties in Tennessee. In none of the six felony categories analyzed (Classes A through E, plus First Degree Murder) was Shelby County the highest in charge reductions. This is particularly noteworthy given Shelby County’s significantly larger caseload, including a higher percentage of serious crimes committed by juveniles and gang-affiliated individuals—factors that often complicate charge determinations.
“This report confirms what we’ve been saying: We are committed to holding offenders accountable while working within a system that sees some of the most serious and complex cases in the state,” said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. “Despite facing greater volume and more serious cases, our office has maintained consistency and fairness in charge decisions. The data speaks for itself.”