Changed my mind about cash bail after seeing it play out in real time

I used to be all for keeping cash bail because I figured it made sure people showed up to court. Then my buddy got stuck in county for 3 weeks over a $500 bond on a misdemeanor he didn't commit, and he lost his job at the warehouse. That experience made me realize the system just punishes poor people before they're even convicted. Has anyone else had a real life situation flip their view on this?

3 comments

3 Comments

umabailey22d ago

My cousin had a $2,000 bond for a DUI he definitely did and he still made every single court date after his mom bailed him out. Fact is cash bail gives people a real reason to show up and follow the rules. Take away that financial stake and you'll have way more people skipping court and making the whole system even slower.

jaken2322d ago

Man that is such a rough story. I had a neighbor get stuck in county for a week over a $500 fine he couldn't scrape together and by the time he got out his landlord had already started eviction proceedings over missed rent. It's like the system sets people up to fail before they even get a chance to prove anything. Really makes you think about who cash bail actually helps and who it just crushes.

oliver_mitchell22d ago

That line about "punishes poor people before they're even convicted" hits hard. Same thing happened with a guy I used to lift with - sat in county for two weeks on a $300 ticket and came out to his car getting repossessed. Totally flipped my take on the whole thing too.