Bail & Bail Reform
The Bail and Reform topic offers a wealth of articles, news updates, and in-depth analysis on topics such as bail policies, pretrial release practices, and the latest legislative efforts aimed at reforming these systems.
The 12 cities claim the zero-bail schedule for nonviolent felonies and misdemeanors will result in a “significant increase in criminals released back into the community”
“I’m not pointing fingers here at anybody; I’m just asking the question ‘why,’” Chief McManus said
“It gives judges discretion they need to hold violent criminals accountable, while still upholding our commitment to a justice system that is fair and accessible to all,” the gov. said
The county will spend $400,000 on a bail program to help low-income inmates
The bill would ban judges from setting money bail for those charged with traffic offenses and municipal charges
Auditors found the cost of incarceration outweighs the cost of pretrial services, concluding reforms could save $6-12 million in taxpayer money each year
Bail industry officials have sought to suspend the law through a voter referendum earlier this year
A coalition submitted more than enough signatures for a statewide referendum on the law in 2020
One bill would create a system that would allow geriatric inmates to be released from prison before the end of their sentence
“This is a very disturbing set of circumstances,” Orleans Parish DA Leon Cannizzaro said
Bail reform might be the most consequential and far reaching reform yet, legal experts said
The bill was largely opposed by Republicans, the bail industry and some law enforcement groups
Christopher Watts, who is being held without bail, is due back in court on Tuesday morning to be advised of the charges filed against him
The woman was kept in jail for nearly a month because she couldn’t pay a $55 release fee
Excessive bail is a major issue for low-level, non-violent, non-serious misdemeanor defendants who pose little threat to public safety
An appeals court upheld most of a federal judge’s ruling that the bail system in Texas’ most populous county was unconstitutional for people arrested for lesser offenses
Some Harris County commissioners have been critical, suggesting that authorities are now required to release people who could be a danger to the community
Proposed bills would require judges to offer alternatives such as community service, payment plans or waivers
The law will allow people accused of low-level crimes to have bail reviewed quickly and perhaps lowered if they’re indigent
Similar legal challenges have been brought in at least 10 states, and other courts have struck down such bail policies
The Texas Judicial Council said the inmates were incarcerated because they couldn’t afford to post bail or in some cases were unfairly identified as flight risks
It’s a national issue that is increasingly seen not just a moral imperative, but also as an economic one
Seven people have sued Mississippi’s capital city, saying its municipal court illegally jailed them because they couldn’t pay court fines
New York City officials are looking for practical fixes they can put in place now to help the 50,000 people sent to jail every year because they can’t afford bail money
Floyd County Jail inmates held in the Ohio River city of New Albany currently have to use cash or go through a bondsman to post bail
$18 million city plan allows judges beginning next year to replace bail for low-risk defendants
Reforms are underway that rely more on data to predict who can safely be released to later return to court and which dangerous defendants should remain locked up