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Ending cash bail is good for everyone
Cash bail criminalizes poverty, fuels mass incarceration, and disproportionately affects communities of color. The Center for American Progress.
In the wake of the horrific events in Wisconsin where a violent felon was released from jail only to mow down a parade, killing five and injuring another 48, the objections to ending cash bail have only grown louder. Never mind that Darell Brooks did not get out due to a policy against bond or that he would not be eligible in jurisdictions that have ended the practice, his case feeds into the same idea expressed by the warden in Shawshank Redemption, “There’s only three ways to spend the taxpayer’s hard-earned money when it comes to prisons. More walls. More bars. More guards.” He is talking about prisons but he could be talking about people accused of crimes.
It is important to note that most people in county jails have not been convicted of the crimes for which they were arrested. Moreover, the idea that ending cash bail makes everyone less safe is just inaccurate, it is dangerous. People who are arrested but cannot afford their bail lose their jobs are separated from their families and face financial and personal ruin. They are also more likely to accept a plea, even if they are innocent, just to get home. This does not set anyone up for success and makes them more, not less, likely to commit a crime. This…