PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Thursday defended the city’s use of cashless bail for some offenses, following President Trump’s executive orders and threats to withhold federal funds from cities with alternative cash bail policies.
Below is a statement from Witold Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, in response to the executive orders and subsequent discourse:
“The president cannot override our Pennsylvania Constitution, which is clear: locking people up simply because they can’t afford to pay is not justice. Countless studies show that cash bail undermines public safety, and now the Trump administration is doing the same by propping up a broken, harmful bail system that puts our neighbors with the fewest resources at even greater risk.”
Danitra Sherman, deputy advocacy and policy director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, added:
“In Philadelphia, we see the irreparable damage that pretrial detention causes every day, especially to Black and brown families and communities most impacted by poverty. There are better alternatives that support safer communities without ignoring our constitutional right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and we can provide a list. Two-way text messaging apps, unsecured monetary bail and phone call reminders all serve the same purpose as cash bail without unjustly locking people away and jeopardizing their families, jobs and homes.”
Learn more: www.aclupa.org/issues/criminal-legal-reform/cash-bail
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