Zero Bail Policies Take Another Life in California
The next time you see a study by the Brennan Center that says that releasing criminals on cashless bail works just as well as secured bail, question it.
The next time you see a study by the Brennan Center that says that releasing criminals on cashless bail works just as well as secured bail, question it. The next time you see a social media post about a communications workshop from the Arnold Ventures about how cashless bail keeps us safer, question it. And the next time you see a legislator stand in front of a podium with a group of bail reform activists behind them talking about abolishing secured bail, question it. Just like the snake oil salesmen of yesteryear, these criminal justice reformers are selling our leaders and communities nothing, but a false narrative wrapped in hope and fairness. Meanwhile criminals run free and our neighborhoods become less safe.
The latest example comes out of Martinez, California. A man who was arrested for a string of home burglaries, an apparent acceptable crime in California, was on pretrial release when he was rearrested for violating his home detention. The Judge decided to rerelease him again on his own recognizance. Shockingly (said with as much sarcasm as possible), the man violated his free release (just like the Yolo County study on zero bail showed us what happens with zero bail releases). But this time, a life was lost. The released criminal killed a Martinez man in front of his own house. This is a horrible tragedy that should have been avoided. And what do you hear from those that support bail reform and who want more free release...nothing.
How many criminals must go free before these reformers are happy? How many victims must be created or revictimized before judges stop empowering criminals with free releases? Our elected officials need to wake up and stop pushing for these soft on crime policies, before someone gets killed. Oh wait...too late.
