New York’s cash bail reform is under attack. Following a massive fear-mongering campaign by the cash bail industry and other reform opponents, many are calling on legislators to give judges the discretion to detain people they believe to be a threat.
But this push is woefully misguided — and dangerous.
For one, restoring discretion to judges would re-entrench racism and arbitrariness in the criminal justice system. Already, communities of color are unfairly targeted for arrests — and more likely to be detained pre-trial. One analysis from the Vera Institute of Justice found that black defendants in NYC were 10 percent more likely to be detained than similarly-situated white defendants. And often, the factors judges use to determine “dangerousness” disproportionately disadvantage black and brown people.
Furthermore, cash bail was never meant to keep people accused of crimes off the streets; it was supposed to ensure people returned for their court date. But over time, cash bail has morphed into a tool to keep people locked up. By restoring discretion to judges — who have repeatedly set bail at levels poor people could never afford — bail would continue to serve as a guilty-before-convicted punishment that contradicts the core of our criminal justice system.
New York has taken major steps to make its criminal justice system fairer and more just. In the last year alone, we passed cash bail reform — the most progressive in the nation — and agreed to close the prison on Rikers Island. We must pursue policies that bring New York forward, not backwards.
We are thankful to the lawmakers who are refusing to backtrack on bail reform. We implore other legislators to do the same.
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
We are preparing for our very special 10th anniversary gala in New York City on October 21st, and we would love for you to be there with us.
This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!
We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By purchasing a $50 streaming ticket, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”
Please plan now to join us in person or give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!
Mail that includes checks only:
JUSTLEADERSHIPUSA, INC
P.O. Box 23681
New York, NY 10087-3681
All other mail:
P.O. Box 1730, New York, NY 10037
347.454.2195
© 2024 JustLeadershipUSA. All Rights Reserved.
JustLeadershipUSA is a non-partisan organization. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed belong solely to the individual author or speaker, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the organization.