Los Angeles County Begins No Cash Bail Policy, But Not Everyone Is A Fan

Los Angeles County has expanded the zero cash bail system it employed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Fox News.

Officially titled “Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols,” the policy, which began Oct. 1, eliminates cash bail for crimes, except for the most serious ones. Similar to the system employed during the COVID-19 pandemic, non-violent crimes or crimes that are not deemed serious will not have a monetary amount set as a condition for release.

They will, however, be released on condition of promising to appear before a judge at a trial date when they are charged. The system responds to critics of the cash bail system who argued that it allowed those with money to use it as a get-out-of-jail card for severe crimes.

However, there are critics of the no cash bail system who say that it will allow crime to flourish.

“Residents don’t feel safe,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger told KCAL News. “One only has to turn on the TV each morning and hear what happened the day before, whether it be a smash-and-grab, a carjacking, a burglary, an armed robbery … and people what to know how this is going to impact crime on the street.”

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall told Fox News, “Right now bail is not a perfect system, but it really is the only system we have to deal with these types of crimes. This is an invitation to continue to commit more crimes.”

Those fears apparently stem from a misunderstanding of how no cash bail works. The data show a decrease in crime in places where no cash bail has been implemented. (In the case of data from Third Way, a leftist think-tank, crime remains stagnant.) The ACLU also said cash bail does not keep people safer, nor does it reduce violent crime, particularly homicides.