Bernie Sanders Goes After The Cash Bail System
Posted on July 25, 2018, at 1:17 p.m. ET
Excerpt:
In the recent past, Sanders’ support for a given issue — like single-payer health care — has moved conversation around that within the Democratic Party, especially for prospective presidential candidates.
The Poverty Is Not a Crime Act, introduced by Sanders on Wednesday, would effectively end the use of cash bail as a condition for release before trial and amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to create a grant system to incentivize states to end their cash bail systems and create alternatives to cash bail.
Calls for changes to the cash bail system reached a crescendo in recent years after the death of Kalief Browder, who had been accused of stealing a book bag and spent three years in jail on Rikers Island because he couldn’t afford his $3,000 bail. Browder’s death offered a poignant example of the criticism of the cash bail system. Criminal justice advocates have long pointed to the cash bail system as disproportionately affecting working-class Americans who can’t afford bail.
“We have a broken criminal justice system,” Sanders told BuzzFeed News. Sanders added that in the midst of that, the country has a cash bail system that’s essentially “criminalizing poverty.”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryancbrooks/bernie-sanders-goes-after-the-cash-bail-system
= new reply since forum marked as read
Not here of course - unless you used an alias for Sanders. Kind of like when Donny Osmond got radio play for Soldier of Love - under "mystery artist".
Kick in to the DU tip jar?
This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.
As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.