Advocates are calling a bill headed to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk a step back from years of criminal justice reform.
Senate Bill 63 would add more than two dozen offenses to the list of charges requiring cash bail while limiting charitable bail funds, including those ran by churches, protest groups and individuals, from securing the release of no more than three people a year from jail.
According to Republican State Rep. Houston Gaines, it’s needed to target repeat and violent offenders and to prevent no-shows in court. However, more than half of the additional crimes that would now require cash bail are typically misdemeanors.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
