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June 16, 2020

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TOP NEWS

As Donations Pour in, Bail Fund Organizers Want to Overhaul the System

Harper's Bazaar

In the 17th century, political philosopher Thomas Hobbes famously wrote that without a supreme leader enforcing order through punishment, life would be “nasty, brutish, and short.” Centuries later, the idea that human nature instinctively bends toward cruelty is still a common one. And yet, people seem to have an uncanny way of disproving that. Just look to the past two weeks.

Democrats Unveil Sweeping Bill Targeting Police Misconduct and Racial Bias

The New York Times

Democrats in Congress unveiled sweeping legislation aimed at combating excessive use of force and racial discrimination by the police and making it easier to identify, track and prosecute misconduct, the most expansive federal intervention into law enforcement that lawmakers have proposed in recent memory.

ARKANSAS

Public Policy Center Launches Program to Collect Data on Ballot Issues

TalkBusiness.net

It was a dream that former Lawrence County (Arkansas) Judge Dale Freeman never got to fully realize. For many years, the county needed a better jail and in 2014 the state threatened to close the dilapidated jail the county had been using for generations. Freeman, along with the county’s Quorum Court, passed a resolution to build a new jail. Voters then passed two sales tax resolutions to build the $8.5 million detention center.

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CALIFORNIA

California Courts Delay Eviction Freeze Decision, End Zero Bail During Coronavirus Emergency

Capital Public Radio

California’s judicial leaders delayed a closely watched decision on whether to end the statewide moratorium on eviction and foreclosure proceedings during the coronavirus emergency following warnings from housing advocates that the move could lead to a wave of renters being forced onto the streets.

California Judicial Council Ends COVID-Related Emergency Bail Schedule

Courthouse News Service

By a vote of 17–2, California’s Judicial Council rescinded a statewide emergency bail schedule, which had set bail at $0 for people arrested for low-level crimes to curb the spread of coronavirus in jails.The council enacted the emergency rule in early April. It applies to people accused of misdemeanors and some felonies with the exceptions of those charged with violent felonies, stalking, child abuse, and domestic violence.

Will LA Keep Zero Bail For Now? DA Lacey Says It Should

LAist

California's Judicial Council has ordered an end to its emergency "zero bail" program, which has helped dramatically reduce the jail inmate population during the coronavirus pandemic. Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, however, wants to extend the program, which has compelled courts to stop requiring people accused of a misdemeanor or low-level felony to pay bail to get out of jail.

FLORIDA

As Jacksonville Faces Police Shootings and Coronavirus, Protesters Call for Transparency

Florida Times-Union via First Coast News

As the dueling crises of a deadly pandemic and police brutality spark fear and anger in residents across Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has done little to help the public understand its inner workings. The Sheriff’s Office has never released body-camera footage of an officer shooting, even as officers have shot 12 people, killing seven, since every patrol officer was outfitted with a body camera by last December.

GEORGIA

Defunding Police: Atlanta Shows Politicians' Promises Don't Equal Change

Scalawag Magazine

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms made bail reform a central tenet of her closely contested campaign in 2017. After winning the election, she pushed legislation through in a matter of weeks and declared that she was, “making a commitment that the City of Atlanta will ensure that no one will be jailed because of their inability to pay.”

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INDIANA

Inmates Seek Prison Release Due to COVID-19

The Indiana Lawyer

Almost immediately after the coronavirus reached the United States, criminal justice advocates sounded the alarm on behalf of the incarcerated. Inmates in county jails, state prisons and federal penitentiaries are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, advocates say, simply because of the nature of their living conditions. To that end, state and local leaders have been called upon to take proactive steps to reduce jail populations.

MINNESOTA

Minnesota Lawmakers Consider Banning Warrior Training, Enacting Other Police Reform Policies

Minnesota Daily

State lawmakers have said criminal justice reform is a top priority in the wake of George Floyd’s death and ensuing protests. During a meeting Saturday, the House public safety committee considered policies ranging from “warrior-style” training to requiring police to live where they serve. The University of Minnesota area’s representative Rep. Mohamud Noor, DFL-Minneapolis, also testified in support of eliminating cash bail.

NEW YORK

District Attorney Race Tests Sway of New York Police-Reform Protesters

The Wall Street Journal

As New York protesters calling for police reform continue to fill the streets, one harbinger of their political impact will be the Democratic primary for district attorney in Albany County. Incumbent David Soares faces a challenge from Matt Toporowski, a former assistant in his office who said he became disillusioned with Mr. Soares’s approach to criminal justice. The men are clashing over the 2019 changes to New York’s bail and discovery laws.

Over 250 Released Early From Rikers Arrested Again

The Crime Report

Of approximately 2,500 defendants released from Rikers early because of COVID safety concerns, at least 250 have been arrested again since, according to Michael LiPetri, chief of Crime Control Strategies for the New York Police Department, reports NBC News. The NYPD did not object to releasing older defendants, nor those with underlying medical conditions, LiPetri said.

Scaled-Back NY Bail Reforms Still Boost 'Culture' of Pre-Trial Release: Panel

The Crime Report

The tightening of New York’s landmark bail reform law will still reduce the pretrial jail population by 30 percent, even though it will likely incarcerate hundreds of people who might otherwise have been able to await an appearance before a judge at home, a panel was told. As a result of amendments to the bail reforms passed by New York State in April, the number of individuals now eligible for bail has increased, according to a report by the Center for Court Innovation.

PENNSYLVANIA

'A Protest Movement': How Philadelphia Bail Funds Are Challenging the Existing Cash Bail System

The Daily Pennsylvanian

As worldwide protests continue to fill the streets of major cities over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, bail funds across the nation have seen a huge influx in donations to support people arrested for protesting. Bail funds are organizations that post the required bail for people who are unable to afford it.

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