The results in Yolo County show that promise was either impossible to keep, or it was a cynical ploy to start with.ĭespite the outcome of Prop. The only attempt in the voter information guide to argue that SB10 would improve public safety was the claim that zero-cash bail “means decisions will be based on risk to our safety, not a person’s ability to pay,” because “judges will determine whether a person poses a risk of committing new crimes or fleeing when deciding who is held pretrial.” Since decisions wouldn’t “be made based on the size of the person’s wallet,” communities would be “safer by ensuring jail space is reserved for those who are actually dangerous and shouldn’t be released, instead of the poor.” 25 official voter information guide noted that supporters believe “now is the time to replace California’s money bail system with one based on safety and fairness.” They called the current system “unfair” and “costly.” Hertzberg complained that under a cash-bail system, “ wealthy people can simply write big checks” for pretrial release. But they missed the mark in defending the policy as a means to reduce crime. Needed criminal justice reform was mentioned, as was the creation of early release equality by removing financial means for earning bail. Sure, supporters of this zero-bail policy offered many arguments. It’s anybody’s guess as to how trusting a charged suspect’s promise to appear in court would improve public safety. Did the rush to set up the pandemic-era, zero-bail regime transform the courts into processing centers from which everyone walked? Media reports indicate that he was out on zero bail at the time after being arrested for car theft, despite being a convicted felon who should not have been granted release under the temporary zero-bail policy.
The Sacramento Police Department charged Troy Davis in her slaying. There was also the death of Kate Tibbits, killed in her Sacramento home a year ago. “There is simply no rational public safety-related basis to continue such a practice post-pandemic, especially in light of the increasing violent crime rates across California,” he said. But a statement from Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig indicates some committed “violent offenses such as robbery and murder.” Were the re-offenders charged with petty crimes? Apparently so.
“Of the 595 individuals released without bail in Yolo County between 20, 420 were rearrested,” Fox News reports. In Yolo County, where a temporary zero-bail policy established by the state Judicial Council in April 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic was extended, 70% of offenders who were given “get-out-of-jail” cards were arrested later and charged with new crimes. So, what have Californians missed in rejecting 2020’s Proposition 25? Has there been a lapse in “protecting public safety” because zero cash bail was rebuffed by voters? Almost two years ago, California voters rejected Proposition 25 by a large margin, telling lawmakers in unmistakable terms they were not in favor of Senate Bill 10, which replaced cash bail with risk assessments – low, medium and high – for suspects awaiting trial.Įnding cash bail was supposed to be a “transformational shift away from valuing private wealth and toward protecting public safety,” said SB 10’s lead sponsor Sen.
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