Bail Baloney

 

     Aniah’s Law..."erodes the presumption of innocence, and makes a mockery of our right to due process."

     I've never posted bail, but I can imagine it being a difficult process for many people who are supposed to be considered innocent until...and unless..they are proven guilty.

     A law student at CUNY---The city University of New York---has posted a column critical of changes made to the law recently as a way to "crack down" on crime, always a popular sport in Alabama. She writes:

"...when someone is arrested simply on an allegation of any of the law’s enumerated crimes, they will be held in jail for a minimum of 72 hours before they get a chance for a hearing where both sides may present evidence and witnesses. While that may sound fair in theory, in practice it is quite unbalanced. When law enforcement charges someone with a crime, they generally start investigating the allegation, gathering witnesses and evidence right away. In contrast, the incarcerated person is often not even told the details of the allegation until their preliminary hearing, which can take place weeks after their arrest. Most are not assigned an attorney or given a copy of the state’s evidence against them until weeks or even months later.

Read the whole column HERE.