To: Governor Gavin Newsom
Gov. Brown: End Cash Bail in California.
Pretrial Justice Institute
Governor Brown: You know our cash bail system is broken, and yet you have not taken action to fix it. Ending cash bail is the next practical step to reforming California’s criminal justice system.
Why is this important?
On August 27, law enforcement officials across Northern California began arresting more than 30 bail bondsmen from seven different bail bond companies on charges that they illegally rewarded jail inmates with money for providing information about individuals newly entering the jails. The alleged corruption illustrates an important danger of the cash bail system, in which access to money—rather than risk—determines who stays in jail pretrial.
No one should ever be held in jail simply because they are too poor to put up an arbitrary amount set by the courts. Jail should be reserved for people who pose a danger to our communities, or are a flight risk.
No one should be able to prey on and exploit defendants simply because they are poor.
Across America, jurisdictions are moving toward detention decisions based on risk, rather than money. More than 75 percent of voters support risk-based detention and believe it works.
Governor Brown: You know California’s bail system is broken, and you have not yet taken action to fix it. End cash bail.
-Cherise Fanno Burdeen of the Pretrial Justice Institute
No one should ever be held in jail simply because they are too poor to put up an arbitrary amount set by the courts. Jail should be reserved for people who pose a danger to our communities, or are a flight risk.
No one should be able to prey on and exploit defendants simply because they are poor.
Across America, jurisdictions are moving toward detention decisions based on risk, rather than money. More than 75 percent of voters support risk-based detention and believe it works.
Governor Brown: You know California’s bail system is broken, and you have not yet taken action to fix it. End cash bail.
-Cherise Fanno Burdeen of the Pretrial Justice Institute