Bail bond companies both weaken and profit
from the criminal justice system — by keeping poor people in debt even
after they've been cleared of charges — the American Civil Liberties
Union said in a report released Thursday.
The $14 billion-a-year bail bond industry,
underwritten by nine large insurance companies including some owned by
multinational corporations, perpetuates a system in which people who
can't afford bail remain in jail before trial. This leaves them with a
choice between borrowing money or staying locked up, the ACLU said.
Those who remain incarcerated are less likely
to win their court cases, researchers say. And those who borrow from
bondsmen to buy their freedom often spend months or years paying it
back.
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