Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(ATLANTA, GA) — On May 1, Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 63 into law. The Bail Project offered the following statement in response:
“With the passage of SB 63, the legislature and governor in Georgia have turned their backs on community safety. By limiting judicial discretion through requirements that cash bail be set for a variety of misdemeanors, and by restricting charitable bail organizations, churches, and individuals from supporting members of their community with bail assistance, SB 63 will fuel mass incarceration while removing a lifeline to impoverished Georgians who are incarcerated solely because they can’t pay bail.
A dozen jurisdictions across the country have recognized that cash bail is bad policy and have moved to reduce or eliminate its role in the pretrial system. Thankfully, we have evidence from this sweeping reform movement: minimizing the use of cash bail makes our communities safer. Instead of building on this evidence and advancing policies that reduce wealth-based incarceration and improve safety, lawmakers in Georgia have willfully turned a blind eye. And it will be vulnerable Georgians in need who bear the catastrophic consequences.
Georgia’s jails are in crisis: buckling under long case processing delays, overcrowding, and inhumane conditions. We need preventative solutions that close the revolving door of incarceration – not more incarceration. Lawmakers can and must pursue smart legislation that expands supportive services like affordable housing, employment programs, and mental health and substance use treatment. We urge other states to grasp that policy such as SB 63 is far from inevitable – it is a choice, and one that comes at the expense of Georgians who are most in need.”
About The Bail Project
The Bail Project is a national nonprofit that provides free bail assistance and pretrial support to thousands of low-income people every year, while advancing policy change at the local, state, and national level. It is on a mission to combat mass incarceration by eliminating reliance on cash bail and demonstrating that a more humane, equitable, and effective pretrial system is possible. Since November 2019, The Bail Project has assisted more than 1,500 Georgians with free bail assistance and voluntary supportive services. Our clients in Georgia have returned to nearly 90% of their court dates, laying waste to the idea that cash bail is a necessary incentive to ensure a person’s future court appearance.
Learn more about The Bail Project at bailproject.org. Read our policy roadmap at aftercashbail.org.
Thank you for your valuable attention. The urgency and complication of the cash bail crisis requires meaningful participation to create real change – change that is only achieved through the support of readers like you. Please consider sharing this piece with your networks and donating what you can today to sustain our vital work.
