The Bail Project, a national nonprofit that aids thousands of low-income people who are behind bars, announced Monday that it has closed its Atlanta branch due to a new Georgia law that expands cash bail and restricts organizations that post inmates’ bonds as they await trial.
Senate Bill 63, which goes into effect next month, requires cash bail for 30 additional crimes, including 18 that are always or often misdemeanors, including failure to appear in court for a traffic citation.
It also limits people and organizations from posting more than three cash bonds in a year unless they meet requirements to become bail bond companies — a process involving passing background checks, paying fees, holding a business license, securing the local sheriff’s approval and establishing a cash escrow account or other form of collateral.
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