To get released before trial, most American courts require defendants to post bail money. If you can't pay, even if you're innocent, you'll have to wait for trial while still behind bars. Staying in jail awaiting trial damages lives and legal cases: people in custody lose jobs, housing, and property, and statistics show that they end up with longer sentences if they’re found guilty. And all of this costs taxpayers billions. But there's a better way.
Judge Truman Morrison of the District of Columbia Superior Court shows how courts can follow D.C.'s example and use a combination of non-financial conditions to make sure defendants show up for court and don’t get re-arrested while awaiting trial.
Find more at criminalinjusticepodcast.com.