Why does South Dakota want to Expand Cashless Bail?
When you see someone stick their finger in a light socket and get electrocuted, what is your next move? Do you go ahead and stick your finger in the socket too…or do you try and learn from the mistakes of the poor fool that did it before you? Well, the failed cashless bail experiment is no different than the light socket.
Every jurisdiction that has stuck their finger in it has been electrocuted.
- Defendants don’t show up for court.
- Crime victims get re-victimized.
- Crime increases.
- More crime victims are created.
It is the same pattern everywhere it is tried and every time it is tried. And the evidence of its failure isn’t even a secret.
Trump Issues Executive Order on Cashless Bail
Last August, President Trump issued an executive order eliminating cashless bail in Washington DC. Why? Because it had created a system with no accountability. Additionally, the executive order tasked Attorney General Bondi to identify those states who have implemented some type of soft on crime bail reform and are following these failed cashless bail policies.
Risk Assessments Shown to be Discriminatory
And then there are risk assessments… these fake science, black box algorithms are sold to jurisdictions by billionaire bail reform activists who promise a fairer and more equitable outcome. The only thing these algorithms have done is increase racial disparity in the system. In fact, 27 of the top data scientists and statisticians in the country all came out against the use of these algorithms in the criminal justice system. Over 100 civil rights groups issued a statement against the use of these discriminatory algorithms. Even former Attorney General Eric Holder came out against these dangerous and discriminatory risk assessments.
With all that, someone please explain why South Dakota is staring at the light socket and considering putting their finger into it?
Check out this latest article out of South Dakota on Why is the Legislature even contemplating HB1015 after Trump signed executive order against cashless bail?
Author: Eric Granof, Vice President, Corporate Communications