Nearly half a million people are in jail in America on any given day, and people in pre-trial detention make up more than two-thirds of the jail population. The law presumes they’re innocent. But they don’t have the resources to post bail.
On Monday at 11 a.m., guest host and senior economics contributor Chris Farrell will talk to two criminal justice reform experts about the history of cash bail and the role it has played in the rise of mass incarceration in the United States. Plus, a look at the changes criminal justice reform advocates want to see — and the consequences those changes could bring.
We want to hear from our listeners. Have you had experience paying bail? Did you end up staying in jail because you couldn’t make bail? Tell us what happened. What are your questions and comments about the idea to eliminate or drastically limit bail? Give us a call at 651-227-6000 or toll free at 800-242-2828 during the 11 a.m. hour or tweet @cfarrellecon to join the conversation.
Guests:
Insha Rahman is the vice president of advocacy and partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice in Brooklyn. She is a former public defender and an expert in prosecutorial reform, bail and “decarceration.”
Twyla Carter is the national policy director at The Bail Project. Before joining The Bail Project, she was a senior staff attorney in the Criminal Law Reform Project at the ACLU national office.
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