Brutal. Just leaving night court. Young man half my age now on way to jail. Fight w/ mom. Charged w/ “burglary” bc prosecutors claim she had kicked him out. Would’ve been a misdemeanor. Instead charged as violent felony. Faces 25 years. Told judge he couldn’t pay any bail. $5000.
The ease with which this judge & others say a dollar amount she knows will result in human caging, violence, horror, & pain simply because of the inability to pay an amount of money is sickening. Expressionless. Emotionless. “Thank you, counselor. $5000. Officers take charge.”
He’ll be held in jail till at least Thursday. He’ll miss his GED class on Monday. Suffer the horrors of Rikers. Become more likely to reoffend (always remember, jail increases recidivism). And at $800/night, cost taxpayers thousands of dollars w/ zero benefit to anyone.
Outraged by this singular injustice? Here’s some systemic outrage. NY passed critical bail reforms last year, set to go into effect Jan. 2020. Ended cash bail for most misdemeanors, nonviolent felonies. The judge will still be able to cage young men like him bc of charge alone.
More outrageous: Prosecutors & police around NY are already engaged in coordinated effort to roll back bail changes for even misdemeanors/nonviolent felonies. Using same fear propaganda used in 70s, 80s, 90s that got us into the mess of mass incarceration. To maintain status quo.
NY pro-carceral forces, including bail bonds industry, are preparing to blame any single act of violence by anyone out on bail for misdemeanors/nonviolent felonies on common sense bail reforms that make the public safer, save taxpayers a fortune, & prevent jailing bc of poverty.
I repeat: The same cynical “Willie Horton” style tactics are being used right now, today, in NY by forces terrified of change, justice, & fairness & committed to perpetual mass punishment. We need to call it out when we see it. I certainly will be.
