Progressives continue battle to abolish cash bail in Nevada
A progressive group has obtained a grant to continue its ongoing effort to oppose the cash bail system in Nevada.
The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) is one of eight groups nationwide to share $1.7 million in appropriations from Minnesota-based Borealis Philanthropy to campaign for ending the cash bail system. PLAN's executive director, Laura Martin, believes the funds will substantially aid the group's efforts to create a more impartial justice system.
"We have to bring communities together to end mass incarceration," Martin said. "This needs to be a community effort."
Martin added that while the money will not be used to post people's bail outright, it will help PLAN organize and campaign.
"We can't single-handedly bail out everyone in the state, but we are going to strengthen our campaign against the effects of mass incarceration," Martin said. "We need to double down on our organizing efforts and build a bigger base so that's where the Borealis fund came in handy."
More than 540,000 people are held in jail without being sentenced or convicted of a crime in the United States. More than 60 percent of those in jail are there because they cannot afford bail. Bail also disproportionately affects African-Americans as well with bail for black defendants being on average $10,000 higher than white defendants.
The top nine bail bond insurance companies make between $1.4 and $2.4 billion in annual profits nationwide. Efforts to end cash bail were put in motion by some lawmakers earlier this year, but did not survive the legislative process. Supporters of the existing bail system say it's effective at ensuring people show up for their court dates.
Today, there are more than 7,200 people being held in local jails in Nevada.
Nevada has some of the strictest fines for traffic violations in the country, with some speeding tickets costing $1,000. Advocates for ending cash bail say many people are not able to pay the fines.
Martin rejects the notion that Nevada needs the cash bail system in place to generate revenue for the state.
"Crime and punishment has been a revenue stream for our low tax 'business friendly' state, but community leaders do not accept that municipal governments pay their bills off the backs of Nevadans with endless fines and fees," Martin said in a statement.
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