New rules for state bail system get mixed reactions from the public

By Mia Sitts

March 12, 2021

Illinois has been the first state to completely eliminate cash bail as of February 22, 2021. House Bill 3653 introduced several court reforms in order to change the way people interact with the courts, and to have stricter police accountability.

New York, and a few other states, have implemented new provisions in their bail reform system, which have changed their laws due to unfair detainment based on income-level.

New York State has placed rules for when individuals can be released on bail reform, including pretrial supervision, counseling, travel restrictions and avoiding contact with witnesses and/or victims. Although there are different rules depending on the scenario, the state believes the police force and judges will do a good job at making proper decisions.

Bail reform has been a controversial topic among many who feel as though their safety may be jeopardized but also feel sympathetic to those being detained for minor crimes. Keeping a person detained on cash bail can cause someone to lose their house, their kids and their job.

“If bail reform had been in effect years ago, my family wouldn’t have had to be worried about me and how to come up with the money to bail me out,” says a father of two.

However, some people agree with eliminating cash bail and believe it will stop wealthy discrimination. Some disagree with eliminating cash bail and are concerned about safety in our state.

“It just makes me wonder like, how do we know these people won’t go out and commit more crimes once they’re released,” says Niskayuna student, Maclyn Seeger.

There have been revisions made along the way to our bail reform laws in New York, and as time goes on other states may follow suit.