Ending Cash Bail
On Oct. 1 Los Angeles County transitions to a new way of administering pre-arraignment justice that doesn’t use cash bail for most crimes. The Times editorial page is examining these and other aspects of L.A. bail reform, including the data on crime, the pushback by police and others who demand that punishment begin before trial, the confusion over basic terms, and the need for more action and backbone among elected leaders on criminal justice issues.
- 1
The best way to eliminate money bail while considering a defendant’s risk of flight or harm is to drastically shorten the time between arrest and arraignment.
- 2
Defendants are just as likely to appear for their court hearings and less likely to be arrested while awaiting trial in jurisdictions that limited money bail, studies show.
- 3
It’s time for L.A. elected officials to defend reforms that eliminate unfair and unsafe money bail. A Superior Court program will take a step next week.
- 4
California voters rejected Proposition 25, a referendum challenging legislation that would have ended money bail. The vote killed the law but it isn’t an endorsement of money bail.
- 5
The argument that money bail “holds people accountable” or imposes “consequences” for alleged crimes is an admission that the system is used to punish people who have been arrested but not convicted. That violates the Constitution.
- 6
The word “bail” and related terms can mean many different things. The resulting confusion helps bail reform opponents in their fight to keep the unjust status quo.
- 7
Bail-or-jail upon arrest will largely disappear from L.A. County, correcting an injustice yet raising concerns at a time of high-profile retail thefts. First in a series.
