cash bail
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New Los Angeles District Attorney Announces Plans to End Cash Bail, Office Will No Longer Seek the Death Penalty
Newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced plans to enact sweeping reforms— including ending cash bail and the death penalty—while being sworn in on Tuesday. According to CNN, Gascón’s plan to immediately end cash bail for specific crimes could see hundreds of currently incarcerated people released as soon as tomorrow. While these releases…
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![New Report on Layleen Xtravaganza Polanco's Death Highlights the Cruelty of NYC Jails' Policies Toward Trans People [Corrected]](https://assets-server.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/29112449/cfwv1qgm0ku5ag3yxyyw-300x200.jpg)
New Report on Layleen Xtravaganza Polanco's Death Highlights the Cruelty of NYC Jails' Policies Toward Trans People [Corrected]
Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco should not have been in solitary confinement at Rikers Island. But the 27-year-old transgender woman was pushed into this part of the infamous New York City jail last year, despite a doctor’s objections and a documented seizure disorder. She would end up dying after nine days in solitary, suffering a seizure alone…
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Bailout of Black Mothers Takes on New Urgency as Coronavirus Pushes Fundraising Efforts Earlier
Black Mamas Bail Out was first conceived as a continuation of centuries-long idea: that black people must be co-conspirators in their own liberation. Erika Maye, deputy senior director of criminal justice campaigns for Color of Change, one of the founding organizations behind Black Mamas Bail Out, credits the event, now in its fourth year, to…
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San Francisco to Remove Cash Bail Requirements
In the last few years, the topic of cash bail has come under renewed scrutiny. The practice inordinately affects the poor and communities of color. Luckily, the city of San Francisco has taken a huge step towards reform. CBS News reports that recently elected District Attorney Chesa Boudin will no longer require cash bail to…
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When NY Ended Money Bail, a Prosecutor Trained DAs to Keep People in Jail
As New York joined a handful of other states in passing sweeping criminal justice reforms, one of the state’s top prosecutors helped attorneys and legislators find loopholes to subvert laws intended to end money bail and guarantee speedy trials. In April, New York Democrats, who controlled the governorship and both legislative branches, passed measures that…
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‘Appalled’ and ‘Disappointed’: Federal Judge Tells St. Louis to Stop Dragging Feet on Cash Bail Order
The city of St. Louis can no longer hold people in jail simply because they’re too poor to pay bail, a federal judge ruled last week. The decision was celebrated by the city’s civil rights advocates, who have argued for years that the city’s cash bail system was unconstitutional. But following the ruling—which gave city…
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100 Black Moms Freed on Mother’s Day Thanks to Nationwide Bail Out Campaign
In their largest bail out effort to date, the National Bail Out collective announced Tuesday morning that their third annual Mother’s Day campaign freed 100 black mothers—and raised an additional $1 million to set even more incarcerated women free. The organization’s landmark achievement was part of the third annual Black Mama’s Bail Out campaign. In…
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The Best Mother’s Day Gift: Activists Join Together to Bail Black Mamas Out for the 3rd Consecutive Year
At the age of 52, Veronica Rex was put behind bars. The Philadelphia native and grandmother of nine was arrested last year after disarming an armed man in a bar where she worked—unaware that the man had a license to carry a firearm. After he filed a complaint several days later, Rex was arrested; her…
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Prosecutors Around the Country Petition Governor Andrew Cuomo, State Lawmakers to End Cash Bail in New York
Earlier this week, 15 of the country’s most progressive prosecutors co-signed a letter urging New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to overhaul the state’s current detention policy by abolishing pretrial cash bail. The letter, sent to Albany on March 6, was signed by some of the country’s most prominent reform-minded prosecutors, including St. Louis County’s Wesley…