Created Equal
New Jersey becomes Ground Zero in national bail reform movement
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Ground zero of bail reform: New Jersey finding both benefits and kinks from reformed system. But officials praise “clearer, fairer” process.
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Heads up, Illinois: Maryland lawmakers find reforming bail no easy task
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In Maryland, the struggle over bail reform has moved to the state legislature, where all the obstacles to changing the longstanding system are on full display.
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In Maryland: Bail reform efforts running headlong into industry opposition
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Maryland’s attorney general is out to reform the bail system there. But the bail bond industry has raised up in opposition, spreading its message and money to legislators.
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New Orleans reforms bail system for minor crimes
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As Cook County and other jurisdictions around the country struggle over bail reform, New Orleans adopts ordinance: No cash bail for most minor crimes. City Council passage breaks bottleneck caused, in part, by opposition from bail bond industry.
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Lawsuit raises question: Can communities outlaw poverty?
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An ordinance in rural Arkansas has fueled a lawsuit over the town’s effort to prohibit inexpensive trailer parks from within city borders. The suit raises the issue: Can a community pass laws to kick poor people out?
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Bail bondsmen’s political muscle working overtime against reform efforts
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Across the country, efforts to reform bail have run headlong into opposition from the bail bond industry. The bondsmen, it turns out, have considerable political muscle.
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In Pennsylvania, and across country, signs of change in use of solitary
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After solitary led to suicides and other horrific incidents, Pennsylvania this month made major changes. Illinois legislators will get their chance at similar reform later this year.