Republican bills push cash bail, subvert Democratic changes
2 years ago

Republican bills push cash bail, subvert Democratic changes

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Just two days before he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee, killing six people and injuring more than 60, Darrell Brooks Jr. had posted bail for charges of domestic violence. Their proposals include increasing the number of non-bailable offenses, requiring more people to pay cash bail and encouraging or requiring judges to consider a defendant’s criminal record when setting bail. “Cash bail is not a benefit to defendants or to public safety,” said Shima Baradaran Baughman, a law professor at the University of Utah who studies bail. “When you are setting money bail on all kinds of offenses and judges can’t release people, you are absolutely treading on presumption of innocence,” she said. Rahman, a former public defender who helped design bail laws in New York and other states, said the best research supports ending cash bail and offering personalized release conditions for most defendants.

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History of this topic

Bail reforms: What are bail conditions and how do they affect the accused person's rights?
8 months, 1 week ago

Bail reforms: What are bail conditions and how do they affect the accused person's rights?

Hindustan Times  

A Nigerian foreign national facing trial under sections of the NDPS Act, punishable with seven years or more, was granted conditional bail after spending eight years in prison from 2014 to 2022. These provisions empower courts to deem an accused 'indigent' if they fail to meet bail conditions within seven days of their grant, thereby enabling the court to reconsider …

Delaware lawmakers approve first leg of constitutional amendment to reform bail system
8 months, 4 weeks ago

Delaware lawmakers approve first leg of constitutional amendment to reform bail system

Associated Press  

— Delaware lawmakers on Sunday approved a proposed constitutional amendment under which criminal defendants other than those charged with murder could be held without bail. House members also gave final approval to companion legislation listing certain felony offenses for which a court could deny bail under certain circumstances, including when there is a fair likelihood of conviction because “the proof …

Editorial: California blew it on bail reform. Now Illinois is showing it works
10 months, 1 week ago

Editorial: California blew it on bail reform. Now Illinois is showing it works

LA Times  

California lawmakers passed a bill eliminating money bail in 2018, but voters overturned the important reform in tumultuous 2020 after a fear-stoking referendum campaign led by the bail bond industry. Opinion Ending Cash Bail On Oct. 1 Los Angeles County transitions to a new way of administering pre-arraignment justice that doesn’t use cash bail for most crimes. The biggest losers …

Editorial: L.A. County cities should stop fighting the end of cash bail. It’s working
1 year ago

Editorial: L.A. County cities should stop fighting the end of cash bail. It’s working

LA Times  

The Bail Boys Bail Bonds in Los Angeles in 2023. L.A. Superior Court and law enforcement data show that a program eliminating money bail and allowing defendants to go home between arrest and arraignment is working well. The end of money bail for most nonviolent and nonserious crimes hasn’t increased repeat arrests or court no-shows, according to Los Angeles Superior …

Georgia Republicans push requiring cash bail for 30 new crimes, despite concerns about poverty
1 year, 1 month ago

Georgia Republicans push requiring cash bail for 30 new crimes, despite concerns about poverty

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — A bill to require cash bail for 30 additional crimes is headed to Georgia Gov. “This legislation will make it clear that Georgia is not going down the path of failure seen by other states and communities that have eliminated cash bail,” Gaines said. “This bill would require incarceration for many offense that once the person is fully …

Georgia could require cash bail for 30 more crimes, including many misdemeanors
1 year, 1 month ago

Georgia could require cash bail for 30 more crimes, including many misdemeanors

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia, once a self-proclaimed leader in criminal justice reform, is sliding a little further toward its old lock-'em-up ways. State senators voted 30-17 on Thursday to require cash bail for 30 additional crimes, including 18 that are always or often misdemeanors, leaving Senate Bill 63 only one House vote from passage. That split was exemplified last year when …

Lawsuit challenging L.A. County’s new limits on cash bail suffers major setback
1 year, 3 months ago

Lawsuit challenging L.A. County’s new limits on cash bail suffers major setback

LA Times  

The Bail Boys Bail Bonds as seen through a rod iron fence in Los Angeles in September. A lawsuit challenging the legality of L.A. County’s new bail schedule suffered a major setback Monday, after a judge ruled the move to severely limit the use of cash bail does not violate the state Constitution. The complaint, filed by a dozen L.A. …

Editorial: L.A. court’s refreshing candor on money bail: It doesn’t make us safer
1 year, 4 months ago

Editorial: L.A. court’s refreshing candor on money bail: It doesn’t make us safer

LA Times  

The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center is the headquarters of the criminal branch of the Los Angeles Superior court, led by Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner. The court’s pre-arraignment release protocol eliminates money bail for low-level crimes. It was refreshing to hear Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner’s spirited and factual defense last week of the …

Editorial: How the court’s bail reform plan could go wrong. How to keep it going right
1 year, 5 months ago

Editorial: How the court’s bail reform plan could go wrong. How to keep it going right

LA Times  

Gotham Bail Bonds and Bad Boys Bail Bonds in Los Angeles, near Men’s Central Jail. A new pretrial protocol eliminates money bail for most people in Los Angeles County between their arrest and their arraignment, beginning Oct. 1, 2023. Instead, people accused of less serious and nonviolent crimes will be cited or booked and released or briefly held while a …

Editorial: Leaders aren’t leading on L.A. bail reform
1 year, 6 months ago

Editorial: Leaders aren’t leading on L.A. bail reform

LA Times  

Pedestrians walk past Bail HotLine Bail Bonds near the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles on Sept. 25. Eliminating money bail has been a front-burner issue in Los Angeles County ever since the 2012 district attorney campaign when reform advocates compelled candidates to discuss the topic at debates. What L.A. needs now, as the court’s new pre-arraignment release program begins …

Editorial: Chief Moore and other bail reform critics are wrong. Cash bail should not be a form of punishment
1 year, 6 months ago

Editorial: Chief Moore and other bail reform critics are wrong. Cash bail should not be a form of punishment

LA Times  

People who are accused of crimes in Los Angeles County but are unable to make required bail payments before arraignment are held in police station jails or transported to the Inmate Reception Center, which has long been under fire for inhumane conditions. Testifying in August in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of money bail, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore …

Illinois Is First State To Fully Abolish Cash Bail In Move To Stop Caging Poor People
1 year, 6 months ago

Illinois Is First State To Fully Abolish Cash Bail In Move To Stop Caging Poor People

Huff Post  

Shannon Ross, pictured in August 2023, was arrested in Chicago in October 2019 on weapons charges, and ultimately found not guilty. AP Photo Erin Hooley Illinois became the first state to completely abolish cash bail when a 2-year-old law finally went into effect on Monday, ending a long-criticized practice that disproportionately affects poor people. “There are plenty of people across …

Cash bail disproportionately impacts communities of color. Illinois is the first state to abolish it
1 year, 6 months ago

Cash bail disproportionately impacts communities of color. Illinois is the first state to abolish it

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — It took four and a half months for Shannon Ross’ life to unravel. A 2022 federal civil rights report on cash bail systems found that courts tend to impose higher pretrial detention penalties on Black and Latino people, citing a study that showed Black men received bail amounts 35% higher than white men, and Latino men received bail …

Cash bail disproportionately impacts communities of color. Illinois is the first state to abolish it
1 year, 6 months ago

Cash bail disproportionately impacts communities of color. Illinois is the first state to abolish it

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A 2022 federal civil rights report on cash bail systems found that …

Editorial: L.A.’s bail reform is an improvement, but falls short of what Illinois has done
1 year, 8 months ago

Editorial: L.A.’s bail reform is an improvement, but falls short of what Illinois has done

LA Times  

Bad Boys Bail Bonds is one of several bail agents across from the Los Angeles County Jail. On July 18, the same day the Los Angeles County Superior Court unveiled its plan to sharply scale back the use of cash bail in L.A. County, the Illinois Supreme Court went further, and better. In its ruling, the Illinois court’s majority demolished …

Editorial: 50 Cent and prosecutors are wrong about cash bail. L.A. courts get it right
1 year, 8 months ago

Editorial: 50 Cent and prosecutors are wrong about cash bail. L.A. courts get it right

LA Times  

L.A. County residents who are unable to pay bail after arrest but before seeing a judge are jailed. A new Los Angeles Superior Court bail schedule will change the frequently pointless practice. The Los Angeles Superior Court unveiled a new protocol that will eliminate money bail for a majority of people arrested in L.A. County, beginning in October. For higher …

Illinois is first state to eliminate cash bail, a penalty affecting low-income communities most
1 year, 8 months ago

Illinois is first state to eliminate cash bail, a penalty affecting low-income communities most

Associated Press  

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail as a condition of pretrial release from jail on Tuesday when the state Supreme Court upheld the constitutionally of the law abolishing it. The 5-2 ruling overturns a Kankakee County judge’s opinion in December that the law violated the constitution’s provision that “all persons shall …

L.A. County courts to severely limit use of cash bail
1 year, 8 months ago

L.A. County courts to severely limit use of cash bail

LA Times  

Los Angeles County’s courts will dramatically scale back the use of cash bail in all but the most serious criminal cases later this year, according to new bail policies unveiled Tuesday. As of Oct. 1, virtually all defendants accused of misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies in L.A. County will either be cited and released or freed on certain terms and conditions …

Editorial: Court brings back sanity, and the Constitution, in Los Angeles bail ruling
1 year, 10 months ago

Editorial: Court brings back sanity, and the Constitution, in Los Angeles bail ruling

LA Times  

Los Angeles County’s Men’s Central Jail, pictured in 2019, is too dangerous to operate but remains open and full in part because officials continue to lock up people solely because they cannot afford bail. Zero-dollar bail is back for most people arrested in Los Angeles County for nonviolent crimes, after a Superior Court judge ruled that jailing people just because …

Wisconsin voters pass amendment for stricter cash bail
1 year, 11 months ago

Wisconsin voters pass amendment for stricter cash bail

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — It will be harder to get out of jail on bail before trial in Wisconsin under an amendment to the state constitution approved by voters on Tuesday. The amendment’s passage, which appeared as two separate ballot questions that were approved by wide margins, is the latest victory in a Republican-backed push to enact stricter bail laws across …

How cash bail laws are at stake on Wisconsin’s April ballot
2 years ago

How cash bail laws are at stake on Wisconsin’s April ballot

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — With the future of abortion rights and redistricting hanging in the balance, all eyes are on the April election for Wisconsin Supreme Court. The second asks whether judges should be allowed to consider past convictions for violent crimes when setting bail for someone accused of a violent crime. The questions may seem vague and unimportant, but they …

Wisconsin lawmakers pass bill to clarify cash bail amendment
2 years ago

Wisconsin lawmakers pass bill to clarify cash bail amendment

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature moved Wednesday to clarify when a proposed constitutional amendment to make it harder for people to go free on bail before trial would apply. Both chambers of the Legislature passed a bill specifying which offenses would fall under the proposed amendment that, if approved by a majority of the state’s April voters, would …

Wisconsin lawmakers clash over cash bail proposals
2 years ago

Wisconsin lawmakers clash over cash bail proposals

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Democratic lawmakers unveiled plans Thursday to largely eliminate the use of cash bail in Wisconsin, clashing with Republicans who proposed a constitutional amendment to make it harder for people to get out of jail before trial. Democrats presented the plan as an alternative to a proposed constitutional amendment Republicans placed on the April 4 ballot that would …

Illinois ban on cash bail in hands of state’s Supreme Court
2 years ago

Illinois ban on cash bail in hands of state’s Supreme Court

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Illinois lawmakers’ effort to end cash bail is in the state Supreme Court’s hands after justices heard arguments Tuesday on behalf of top Democrats, and a group of prosecutors and sheriffs who are challenging the law. The state Supreme Court ordered in January that the provision would not take effect as anticipated and agreed to an “expedited” review …

Georgia Senate wants cash bail required for 53 more crimes
2 years, 1 month ago

Georgia Senate wants cash bail required for 53 more crimes

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia senators want to require cash bail for many more crimes than under current law, a move that the bill’s sponsor says will keep people from committing additional crimes. These are people choosing to violate the law,” Sen. Randy Robertson, a Cataula Republican said of people he is targeting with Senate Bill 63, which passed on a 31-21 …

Illinois high court halts elimination of cash bail
2 years, 2 months ago

Illinois high court halts elimination of cash bail

Associated Press  

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Supreme Court has halted provisions of a new law that would eliminate cash bail for criminal defendants, issuing a stay hours before the new policies were set to take effect Sunday. The high court said in Saturday’s order that the stay was needed to “maintain consistent pretrial procedures throughout Illinois” as the court prepares to …

Critics expect chaos under Illinois bail ban despite ruling
2 years, 2 months ago

Critics expect chaos under Illinois bail ban despite ruling

Associated Press  

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Critics are worried that the elimination of cash bail in Illinois starting Sunday will create chaos after a judge ruled the ban on such unconstitutional but failed to block it from taking effect. House Republicans on Thursday urged Democrats who approved the plan nearly two years ago to halt and fix the so-called Pretrial Fairness Act that’s …

Illinois legislators to decide whether to end cash bail
2 years, 4 months ago

Illinois legislators to decide whether to end cash bail

Associated Press  

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — One of Illinois’ most comprehensive — and contentious — pieces of criminal justice legislation is scheduled for another cleanup, after it was both venerated and vilified during the fall election campaign. When lawmakers return to Springfield next week, at the center of discussions about the SAFE-T Act will be a key provision for ending cash bail — …

Illinois law doesn’t make murder, other crimes ‘non-detainable’ offenses
55 years, 2 months ago

Illinois law doesn’t make murder, other crimes ‘non-detainable’ offenses

Associated Press  

CLAIM: Suspects facing serious charges including second-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and arson will no longer be held in custody until trial under a new, first-in-the-nation Illinois law abolishing cash bail statewide. The posts also include dire warnings that Chicago and other Illinois communities will soon devolve into a real life version of “The Purge,” a horror movie where all …

Detroit cash bail reforms to strike at racial inequality
2 years, 8 months ago

Detroit cash bail reforms to strike at racial inequality

Associated Press  

Michigan’s largest district court and bail reform advocates agreed Tuesday to settle a federal class-action lawsuit over cash bail practices, which activists say routinely and unconstitutionally jail poor and working class defendants despite evidence of their inability to pay. Detroit’s 36th District Court, the American Civil Liberties Union and The Bail Project, a nonprofit that pays bail for people in …

GOP lawmakers, Ohio AG, want public safety a factor in bail
2 years, 10 months ago

GOP lawmakers, Ohio AG, want public safety a factor in bail

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Judges in Ohio would be required to consider criminal suspects’ threat to public safety when setting bail amounts under both legislation and a proposal for a state constitutional amendment being advanced by House Republicans. The Supreme Court majority said safety concerns expressed by the victim’s family members, and evidence that the suspect presented a false ID when …

NY bail law fight emblematic of Democrats’ debate on crime
2 years, 11 months ago

NY bail law fight emblematic of Democrats’ debate on crime

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — It’s hard to find anyone on board with New York Gov. The debate over bail in New York is emblematic of a fight taking place elsewhere in the U.S. A spike in violence during the COVID-19 pandemic has Democrats eager to show they’re tough on crime ahead of this year’s midterm elections, from the White House on …

NY bail law fight emblematic of Democrats' debate on crime
2 years, 11 months ago

NY bail law fight emblematic of Democrats' debate on crime

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The debate over bail in New York is emblematic of a fight taking place …

Don’t blame bail reform for higher crime, NYC watchdog says
3 years ago

Don’t blame bail reform for higher crime, NYC watchdog says

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Two years ago, New York joined a growing number of states scaling back the use of cash bail for criminal defendants. The report’s release comes as some New York officials have considered rolling back bail reforms, which were enacted as part of an effort to address the inequity of poor people being jailed because they couldn’t afford …

Latest California bail reform effort dies for this year
3 years, 6 months ago

Latest California bail reform effort dies for this year

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A parolee’s arrest in a killing after he’d been released without bail helped torpedo the California Legislature’s latest attempt to reform the cash bail system for this year, the bill’s author said Thursday. El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson, the district attorneys association’s president, said lawmakers supporting changes to the bail system are “expressing sympathy toward …

Bail reform: Behind police leaders claims that reforms are responsible for surge in violence
3 years, 7 months ago

Bail reform: Behind police leaders claims that reforms are responsible for surge in violence

CNN  

CNN — “It is an outrage,” wrote Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown. It’s important to keep in mind the context, which is that these trends are deeply disturbing but not a cause for panic.” The crime trend has sparked a tense debate among some politicians, city officials and police leaders on whether bail reforms contribute to violent crime rates, however …

California top court strikes blow against cash bail
4 years ago

California top court strikes blow against cash bail

Al Jazeera  

San Francisco, California, United States — The top court in California last week issued a ruling that advocates for criminal justice reform in the United States are calling a “landmark victory” for efforts to confront racial and economic inequities. “The common practice of conditioning freedom solely on whether an arrestee can afford bail is unconstitutional.” The decision comes as the …

Editorial: Court takes a giant step on bail, but more work is needed
4 years ago

Editorial: Court takes a giant step on bail, but more work is needed

LA Times  

Bad Boys Bail Bonds is across the street from the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. The California Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday sharply limiting the use of money bail represents an important and long overdue stride toward more equal justice, but it leaves much unfixed in a still-flawed portion of the criminal justice process. But money bail — a …

California’s top court ends cash bail for some defendants who can’t afford it
4 years ago

California’s top court ends cash bail for some defendants who can’t afford it

LA Times  

For years, California legislators and judges have tried to reform the state’s money bail system to reduce discrimination against the poor. “Other conditions of release — such as electronic monitoring, regular check-ins with a pretrial case manager, community housing or shelter, and drug and alcohol treatment — can in many cases protect public and victim safety as well as assure …

Ending cash bail abolishes penalty on poverty, advocates say
4 years, 1 month ago

Ending cash bail abolishes penalty on poverty, advocates say

Associated Press  

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — An overhaul of Illinois’ approach to public safety, defending criminal defendants’ rights and keeping would-be rogue police officers in line won legislative approval in January and was lauded as a damaging blow to injustice in crime and punishment. A response to last spring’s civil unrest over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other people of …

California retains cash bail, rejects punishment rollbacks
4 years, 4 months ago

California retains cash bail, rejects punishment rollbacks

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fresh from months of protests over the police killings of people of color and national angst over racial inequities in the criminal justice system, California voters rejected an effort to roll back reforms targeting mass incarceration and reinstate tougher criminal penalties. 20 would tackle violent crime and retail theft.” Voters saw a distinction between the proposed criminal …

Groups worry new law will land more New Yorkers behind bars
4 years, 8 months ago

Groups worry new law will land more New Yorkers behind bars

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — A new state law in New York allows judges to set bail for more criminal charges than originally allowed under a sweeping 2019 reform that largely did away with cash bail for many people awaiting trial. But when the law went into effect in January, law enforcement agencies across New York raised alarm about public safety as …

New York bail reform debate deepens among state Democrats
5 years, 1 month ago

New York bail reform debate deepens among state Democrats

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — After weeks of facing heavy criticism from law enforcement over New York’s bail law, state Senate Democrats are considering a proposal to give judges more discretion over who is released from jail before trial. Among other changes being floated, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also announced Wednesday that she wants to eliminate cash bail in New York’s …

Freed after NY bail reform, robbery suspect arrested by feds
5 years, 2 months ago

Freed after NY bail reform, robbery suspect arrested by feds

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — A federal prosecutor in New York said Friday that the case of a suspected serial bank robber accused of committing a heist in Brooklyn hours after being released from custody shows that the state’s newly enacted bail reform is making New Yorkers less safe. Prosecutors say Woodberry was arrested after the Jan. 8 robbery but was released …

Column: Facing eradication, the bail industry gears up to mislead the public about its value
5 years, 5 months ago

Column: Facing eradication, the bail industry gears up to mislead the public about its value

LA Times  

Few businesses enjoy a reputation for providing a public service as inflated as the bail bond industry. “The most effective form of release in terms of ensuring appearance at court were releases on a financially secured bail bond,” the American Bail Coalition, the industry’s trade group, says on its website. “Were SB 10 to become law, it would practically mean …

Free: New York state slashes the practice of paying bail
5 years, 11 months ago

Free: New York state slashes the practice of paying bail

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — On a single day last fall, over 200 people accused but not convicted of small-time, misdemeanor crimes sat in New York City’s infamous Rikers Island jail because they couldn’t pay bail. “If anyone believes crime doesn’t pay, they should visit New York,” state Assembly Republican Leader Brian Kolb said in a statement. Defendants were released without it …

New study of NJ bail overhaul shows fewer people in jail
5 years, 11 months ago

New study of NJ bail overhaul shows fewer people in jail

Associated Press  

TRENTON, N.J. — The state’s judiciary on Tuesday published its annual report on New Jersey’s 2-year-old bail overhaul, hailing the largely cash-free system for reducing “unnecessary detention of low-risk defendants.” The 52-page report found 6,000 fewer people, or 40%, in jail in October 2018 compared with the same date in October 2012. Added Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner: “The …

California’s historic overhaul of cash bail is now on hold, pending a 2020 referendum
6 years, 2 months ago

California’s historic overhaul of cash bail is now on hold, pending a 2020 referendum

LA Times  

A landmark law to abolish California’s money bail system has been put on hold until voters decide its fate in November 2020 after elections officials on Wednesday certified a statewide referendum backed by a coalition of bail industry associations. At least 11 counties are employing roughly 40 different pilot pretrial programs to reduce the number of people cycling in and …

Editorial: Money bail punishes the poor and makes a mockery of California’s justice system
6 years, 9 months ago

Editorial: Money bail punishes the poor and makes a mockery of California’s justice system

LA Times  

Low-risk criminal defendants could get out of jail before trial by depositing 10% of their bail amount with the court instead of with a private bond agency, under a bill approved by the state Senate. California’s bail system punishes the poverty-stricken criminal defendant by presenting this choice: Stay locked up for months pending trial and risk losing your job, your …

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