“ People awaiting trial, including those who could not pay their cash bail, accounted for 95 percent of the growth in the overall jail inmate population nationwide between 2000 and 2014, according to federal statistics. Some believe denying bond or setting a high bail is necessary, particularly if a defendant poses a danger to the community, but the activists cite the inequitable impact on defendants without financial means. They maintain that judges overuse cash bail, a supposed deterrent for skipping court dates. If they cannot pay, they stay in confinement until a judge hears their case. This can be months, even years... Read More