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How Unaffordable Bail Keeps Innocent People Behind Bars
To end mass incarceration, we need bail reform now
In 2010, 16-year-old Kalief Browder was arrested in New York City for allegedly stealing a backpack. Since he and his family couldn’t afford his $3,000 bail, Kalief was forced to remain in jail until his trial. Due to a lengthy series of delays, he ultimately waited in jail for three years before his case was dropped because of a lack of evidence from the prosecutor.
Likely as a result of the mental and physical abuse he endured while in jail, Kalief committed suicide two years after his release.
Kalief Browder is only one among many victims of an unjust cash bail system that contributes to mass incarceration by keeping thousands of innocent defendants behind bars. According to Vox, since 1984, the number of inmates in local jails in the US has more than tripled, from less than 250,000 in 1984 to around 750,000 inmates today.
Most of this increase can be attributed to the rapidly growing presence of non-convicted defendants in local jails. Of these 750,000 inmates, nearly 480,000 have not yet been convicted. However, most of them have no other choice but to remain in jail because they can’t afford to pay the cash bail amount set for their pre-trial release.
