Letters to the Editor: Bail is patently unjust and does not make us safer — quite the opposite
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- Two readers respond to recent op-ed on bail policy, offering contrasting views on reforms to the criminal justice system.
- One argues current bail system is “patently unjust,” disproportionately harming the poor and people of color while making communities less safe.
- Another warns against restoring cash bail, citing historic problems with bail-bond racketeers who exploited the previous system.
To the editor: Thank you for the op-ed on bail (“The push to hold more nonviolent suspects in jail threatens public safety,” Sept. 30). Getting rid of bail is critically important, as a significant portion of people arrested are poor, people of color and/or accused of nonviolent crimes. Some are innocent but cannot pay the bail bondsman, leading to dramatic consequences: loss of job and reputation, family problems or, as the article points out, loss of life.
This is made even worse when crimes committed by the rich are so frequently minimized. A Jeffrey Epstein can go on committing abuses for years and still strike deals with federal prosecutors.
Bail is patently unjust and does not make us safer — quite the opposite. Jails are schools for crime and are unsafe. The poor pay the price, innocent or not, and we, the taxpayers, foot the bill.
Marie Matthews, San Pedro
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To the editor: Pick your poison if cash bail is restored. When it thrived widely, a huge industry of bail-bond racketeers benefited. Cash bail’s elimination decimated their ranks, and for good reason.
Sure, there are problems with the current system. But any remedy that merely restores cash bail will revive its well-documented historic downsides.
Gary Dolgin, Santa Monica
