top
California
California
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Freedom Shouldn't Depend on Your Bank Account Balance

by ACLU-NC
Did you know that the median bail amount in California is $50,000? That’s just a little less than the state’s median income of $61,000.
bail_reform_now.jpg
Now, can you imagine being locked up, accused of a crime, and suddenly needing to scrape together almost a year’s income? If you answered “no,” you’re not alone.

>> Take action to reform the money bail system!

Every year, California warehouses thousands of people in jails while they await their court dates — simply because they can’t afford to post bail. Meanwhile, wealthy people can easily buy their freedom.

When people can’t pay the total amount of bail up front, they have to make an impossible decision: sit in jail while their case moves forward, plead guilty (possibly to a crime they did not commit), or fork over thousands of nonrefundable dollars to a for-profit bail bonds company in order to secure release while they await their court date.

The vast majority of people who are charged with a crime have to make this choice — regardless of their innocence or if the charges against them are ultimately dropped.

Fortunately, California lawmakers are currently considering significant reforms that will help create a justice system that works for everyone, not just those who can afford it.

The California Money Bail Reform Act of 2017 (SB 10 & AB 42) will promote the economic security, wellbeing, and safety of our communities. These two identical bills, introduced by Senator Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), will create a system that prioritizes pretrial services to help people make their court appearances, and will prevent people from being locked up in jail simply because they are unable to post money bail.

The bills are incredibly important to ensure equal justice, but also to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in our state, to reduce the racial disparities plaguing our criminal justice system, and to keep families together.

Research shows that Black people are assigned higher bail amounts than white people accused of similar offenses. People who can’t post bail are at a higher risk of being convicted, pleading guilty (even if they’re innocent), and receiving harsher sentences. And because Black and Latino people are more likely than white people to be locked up while their cases move forward, money bail fuels pre-existing racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

Pretrial detention has swift and severe impacts on the outcomes of people’s cases, and it can take significant and sometimes irreversible tolls on the accused’s health, wellbeing, and economic security. Just a few days in jail can cost people their car, job, housing, or even custody of their children.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We know that our communities are safer and healthier when families are whole.

You can help make sure that California adopts alternatives that truly promote the economic security, wellbeing, and safety of our communities.


Take Action

Email your lawmaker and ask them support these important bills!
Add Your Comments
Listed below are the latest comments about this post.
These comments are submitted anonymously by website visitors.
TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
ACLU-NC
Thu, Apr 6, 2017 6:34PM
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network