We are now, with the passage of the Pretrial Fairness Act, the first state to completely do away with cash bail. “Pretrial detention results in a greater likelihood that individuals (irrespective of guilt) will plead guilty, a greater likelihood of being sentenced to incarceration, and longer sentences.”The cash bail system denies to these people a basic right, called the presumption of innocence. The federal government eliminated cash bail in federal trials almost 40 years ago. It’s true that people who aren’t charged with violent crimes will in most cases walk free until their trials. How well we respond to these challenges will shape the future of the movement to end cash bail — and the injustices that it has for so long visited upon so many.

Source: CNN October 21, 2023 03:50 UTC