bail system
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ACLU Sues Philadelphia Courts Over Money Bail Practices
In 2015, Eugene Lee spent three months in jail for a botched armed robbery. While that might not seem like a long time, you should know that Lee was not convicted before being sent to jail. He was also not the gunman in the incident. In fact, the robbery involved a toy gun that someone…
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Chicago, Cook County Judges Will Be Required to Set Affordable Bonds for Nondangerous Defendants
Timothy C. Evans, chief judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., announced Monday that Cook County judges will be required to set affordable monetary bonds for defendants who do not pose a danger to the public. As of Sept. 18, judges will be prohibited from setting bond higher than what felony defendants can…
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Color of Change, Movement for Black Lives Join National Father’s Bail Out Day
Color of Change and the Movement for Black Lives are joining local grassroots organizers to reunite incarcerated black fathers with their families and highlight the inhumanity inherent in the cash bail system by bailing out black fathers who would otherwise spend their Father’s Day in jail because they cannot afford bail. “For June, we want…
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New No-Cash Bail System Allows Dozens of Low-Level Offenders to Be Released From Jail in Houston
Dozens of low-level offenders in Harris County, Texas, are being released from jail under a new no-cash bail system after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas upheld a District Court ruling that said it is fundamentally unfair to detain indigent people arrested for low-level offenses simply because they can’t afford to pay bail. Harris County…