The zero-bail system is scheduled to take effect on Sunday, Oct. 1.
A dozen Southern California cities filed an 11th-hour court action Friday, Sept. 29 in hopes of halting the implementation of a zero-bail system in Los Angeles County that will eliminate cash bail for most people arrested on non-violent or what are considered non-serious crimes, allowing them to be released with a citation to appear in court at a later date.
With the zero-bail system taking effect Sunday, it was unclear when or if the cities’ request for an injunction blocking the move might take place. The zero-bail schedule was announced by the Los Angeles Superior Court in July, with an effective date of Oct. 1. It was unclear why the cities waited until the last minute to file a legal challenge.
Those arrested who are believed to present a heightened threat to the public or be a flight risk will be referred to a magistrate judge, who will review the case and determine if the person should be held in custody pending arraignment or released under non-financial restrictions such as electronic monitoring.
The new system is borne from long-held criticism that cash bail favored the rich, meaning well-heeled people arrested for even the most serious of crimes could pay their way out of jail, while low-income people languished behind bars for far lesser offenses. The new system is based not on cash, but on the risk an offender presents to public safety or the possibility the person might fail to appear in court.
“It’s really dangerous for us to conflate bail with accountability,” Mitchell said, adding later: “Bail means I have the resources to pay my way out of jail.”
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