It's estimated that at least 60% of Americans in jail today – nearly a half-million – haven't been convicted of anything but are merely being held in pre-trial detention because they can't afford to make bail. What's worse, even people who are acquitted of charges may face years paying back their bail bond fees. Now, some states, like California, are moving to end their cash bail systems. Lee Cowan looks at the $2 billion-a-year private bail bond industry, and talks with the founder of the Bail Project, a non-profit that gives those in need bail without added fees, as well as the executive director of Equal Justice Under Law, dedicated to scrapping the cash bail system entirely.
Air Date: Jun 2, 2019
