Work-release program halted
Palm Beach County sheriff to stop putting inmates in program during policy review after Epstein accusations
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office will stop putting inmates on work release until a review of the program’s policies and procedures is completed, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw announced Friday evening.
The program has come under scrutiny amid accusations that financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continued to have “improper sexual contact” with women while he was on work release from the county stockade about a decade ago.
The county’s Criminal Justice Commission, a 32-member panel that studies law enforcement issues, will review the program at the sheriff’s request.
Bradshaw, who has been sheriff since 2004, also has ordered a separate criminal investigation and an internal affairs probe into the handling of Epstein’s work-release arrangement. Lawyer Brad Edwards, who represents a dozen Epstein accusers, said lax supervision allowed Epstein to continue seeing women while he was in jail.
Epstein spent 13 months in the county stockade during 2008-2009 as part of a once-secret plea deal widely criticized as being too lenient. The agreement ended a federal sex abuse investigation that involved dozens of teenage girls.
About 3½ months into his sentence, Epstein was allowed to spend up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, working out of a downtown West Palm Beach office. Deputy reports show he also was able to visit his Palm Beach mansion, despite restrictions on home visits. In reports, deputies referred to Epstein as the “client” and noted he was “very happy with the service” he was being provided.
Bradshaw is facing mounting pressure to agree to an outside review of the Epstein case by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has the authority to order an FDLE probe, has said he is reviewing the case.
In a statement on Friday, sheriff’s officials said the Criminal Justice Commission, an “independent commission,” will undertake a formal review of the work-release program and its policies. Bradshaw has “stopped any additional inmates” from being placed on work release until the review is completed, according to the statement.
While the agency considers the review to be independent, Bradshaw is a member of the Criminal Justice Commission, as are the county’s state attorney, public defender, other top law enforcement officials, business leaders and elected representatives, according to the commission’s website.
Bradshaw will be given an opportunity to review the commission’s draft report to ensure “no factual errors,” according to a letter dated Friday and sent to the sheriff by Gerald Richman, chairman of the Criminal Justice Commission. The letter specifies that the commission review will not cover particular cases or participants, such as Epstein.
The commission’s Corrections Task Force will take the lead. Richman outlined that the review will focus on the work-release program’s eligibility, conditions, supervision protocols and cost effectiveness. The panel also will study how Palm Beach County’s policies compare with other agencies across the nation.
Teri Barbera, a sheriff’s spokeswoman, did not respond to an email asking whether the sheriff intends to recuse himself to the Justice Commission review and how long it could take.
A 2008 version of the work-release policy shows sex offenders were not explicitly banned from the program. The policy was updated in 2011 to specify “convicted sex offenders are ineligible,” according to records from the Sheriff ’s Office.
While the investigation gets underway in Florida, Epstein remains in a New York jail. He was indicted in early July on federal sex trafficking charges in New York.