Monday, May 1, 2017

THE "SNAIL BAIL" PROBLEM FACES COMPETENT JUDICIAL SCRUTINY : CHARLES JEROME WARE, MARYLAND ATTORNEY

www.charlesjeromeware.com

A federal judge in Houston, Texas, the Honorable Lee H. Rosenthal, has overturned the county's antiquated bail system for people charged with low-level crimes (misdemeanors,etc.) after finding that the bail system disproportionately affected indigent residents and violated the U. S. Constitution.

The court ruling, part of a civil rights lawsuit against Harris County, came last Friday, April 28, 2017, in a case that began when a woman was arrested on a charge of driving without a license and spent more than two days in jail because she could not post $2500 in bail.

The U.S. District Court judge ordered Harris County to stop forcing people who have been arrested on misdemeanor charges to remain in jail because they cannot pay bail.

[ " Judge in Houston Strikes Down County's Bail System, Saying It's Unfair to the Poor", The New York Times, Sunday, April 30, 2017]

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