Pros And Cons Of Pretrial Incarceration

677 Words3 Pages

US citizens are transferred to jails across the country over 10.5 million times annually. Mass incarnation is one of the many major issues in our criminal justice systems. There are currently more than 740,000 people being held in jails and prisons across the United States. That high number is triple what it was just 50 years ago. A big factor in that statistic is the fact that more than 65% of inmates are awaiting their court date to arrive. During those days many people decide to just plead guilty to try and cut their time short. (Pretrial Incarnations) In our near future we need to find a different alternative to bail and pretrial incarnation. When people can’t afford bail, it comes with many setbacks for them including family issues, …show more content…

This creates many issues for people who can’t afford bail. On average, the typical bail cost is $10,000. 40% of defendants can’t afford to pay $400. (Pretrial Incarnation) This doesn't even give people a chance at not attending pretrial incarceration. Bail amounts can vary depending on many different circumstances. Judges make lots of decisions about bail cost based on their own opinions and many times it’s not what’s fair. “Innocent until proven guilty” isn’t currently being followed through with our criminal justice system. How can people be proven guilty unless they have had a court date? Do we really think that the answer is making them sit in jails even when they could be innocent? Our system needs to start making sure that arrests, probations, and incarcerations aren't the first resort. People should be released within a day of being arrested. The only thing they should have to do is show up to their assigned court date. (After Cash Bail) Courts dates need to be assigned soon after the arrest occurs so that all defendants can have a quick and reliable trial. Bail is a terrible way to evade pretrial detention. There can be lots