FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ) — Legislation calling for the elimination of so-called “money bail” has cleared its initial hurdle in Sacramento.
The Senate Public Safety Committee approved the bill Tuesday, which would replace county bail schedules with “pretrial services,” to determine whether a defendant’s release is a threat to the public.
Proponents of the measure believe too many Californians remain locked up as they wait for a trial, because they’re unable to pay the non-refundable bail fee, while others are released with no regard to public safety, just because they have greater monetary resources.
There’s currently no estimate for how many arrestees would be affected by the overhaul; but opponents, including some law enforcement groups, call the measure “premature.”
