Money Bail is a vital piece of the criminal justice system. It is the amount of money posted so that a suspect is able to be released from pre-trial detention. Money Bail can be an extremely wide range and is typically very costly. Between 2000 and 2014, local jail populations grew by 19.8%, with 95% of this growth accounted for by pretrial detention. Often times those who cannot afford bail are locked up for what may be a long period of time, despite not being convicted of anything. The Civil Rights Corps conducted a study showing 500,000 people are in jail everyday simply because they cannot afford bond.
Bonds negatively impact low-income communities because often times a persons income is not taken into account when determining money bail. The criminal justice system can be a continuous cycle for people with low incomes because it is rarely taken into account that they ay struggle to put food on the table let alone afford court fees.
Bonds negatively impact low-income communities because often times a persons income is not taken into account when determining money bail. The criminal justice system can be a continuous cycle for people with low incomes because it is rarely taken into account that they ay struggle to put food on the table let alone afford court fees.
What steps can be taken to address this issue?
ReplyDeleteTaking the persons income and what they afford into account (more than what is done now) when determining money bail
Delete