|
Post by ck4829 on Nov 29, 2016 17:48:40 GMT
In the United States Bill of Rights, amendment eight states that "excessive bail shall not be required", but what constitutes ‘excessive’ is a question lawmakers and advocates are raising in Massachusetts. Some people sit in jail, not yet convicted of the crimes they’re accused of, for months simply because they can’t afford a few hundred dollars in bail. Some believe the current bail system creates inequities; punishing the poor, while allowing dangerous criminals with money to go free. www.fox25boston.com/news/bail-system-punishes-the-poor-and-costs-the-taxpayers-millions/468565431
|
|
|
Post by ck4829 on Dec 5, 2016 11:06:33 GMT
A new story on the subject... California lawmakers next year will make it a top priority to reform the system through which judges award criminal offenders bail, saying courts across the state are punishing “the poor for being poor.” Assemblyman Rob Bonta and Sen. Bob Hertzberg said they plan to fire the first salvo Monday, when lawmakers descend upon the Capitol for the start of the 2017 legislative session. They will introduce bills stating the Legislature intends to enact laws that will reduce the number of people detained before trial and address the racial and economic disparities in the bail process. The details of upcoming legislation are still under deliberation, but Bonta and Hertzberg said they have assembled a broad coalition of organizations and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to tackle what they consider to be one of the most significant pushes — and likely one of the hardest battles — of the year. www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-bail-reform-california-20161204-story.html
|
|
|
Post by addisona on Dec 5, 2016 15:07:30 GMT
Oh wow. Reform is sorely needed for this system.
|
|