To the editor: An important factor is lacking from Occasions reporter Keri Blakinger’s glorious piece underscoring the troubled historical past and progress of the Los Angeles County jail system — the function of money bail in perpetuating this disaster.
Practically 55% of the individuals within the Los Angeles County jails haven’t been convicted of a criminal offense; a current report by the Vera Institute of Justice means that as many as 75% of these detained are there just because they will’t afford bail.
Money bail creates a two-tiered system of justice — one for the wealthy, and one other for everybody else. Beneath this technique, people who find themselves nonetheless legally harmless are responsible till confirmed rich.
We have to comply with the lead of different states and jurisdictions which have safely minimized or eradicated money bail to repair our jails and forestall wealth-based detention from occurring. Whereas Los Angeles has made significant strides in pretrial reform — notably, earlier than a suspect is arraigned — extra must be performed.
Jeremy Cherson, Los Angeles
The author is director of communications for the Bail Challenge.
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To the editor: Your article briefly mentions the commentary of a UCLA professor that “Los Angeles has a fantasy of itself being some form of sunny utopia.”
That is the foundation of the issue. Individuals come right here for the climate and assume life right here can be straightforward with out winter to cope with. Therefore the inhabitants progress.
Confinement may be very tough, and reentering society after a stretch “inside” can be very powerful. Consequently numerous individuals proceed that seemingly unavoidable cycle: out and in of jail.
I don’t have the reply, but it surely appears to me that we have to think about the rights of people that don’t commit crimes. We deserve safety from profession criminals.
Bigger jails? What different choice do we’ve got?
Peter Marquard, Northridge
