A lawsuit has been filed against Los Angeles County by 29 cities located within the county, challenging the county’s recently-implemented zero bail policy making it easier for criminals to be released back onto the streets.
According to Just The News, the lawsuit states that the zero bail policy, which took effect on October 1st, does not “take into consideration the protection of the public, the safety of the victim, the seriousness of the offense charged, the previous criminal record of the defendant, and the probability of his or her appearing at the trial or hearing of the case.”
The new policy declares that cash bail will still be required for those charged with assault, domestic battery, stalking, and violation of a protective order. Judicial review will be utilized for anyone charged with the crimes of human trafficking, sex with a minor, and battery on a peace officer.
Meanwhile, all other crimes will see suspects cited and released immediately upon their arrest, and instead given court orders to appear for arraignment at a later date.
Following the announcement of the lawsuit, Claire Simonich, a spokeswoman for Vera California, the state branch of left-wing criminal justice reform group Vera Institute of Justice, defended the zero bail policy by claiming, with no evidence, that it is a safe policy.
“The opponents are not only drowning out the factual data on the policy, but the years of research on not just Los Angeles County but in areas across the country that show ending money bail and ensuring public safety go hand in hand,” Simonich claimed.
“A similar version of the policy has been in effect on and off for the last three years in Los Angeles County. Violent crime and property crime effectively dropped or remained unchanged compared to the two years before the policy was in place.”
Los Angeles County had previously implemented a similar zero bail policy during the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, in an effort to reduce the prison populations and slow the spread of the virus throughout prison facilities.
However, after briefly ending the COVID-era policy, Los Angeles County opted to re-implement a more permanent version due to what some activists called “dismal” conditions in pre-trial jails.
Among those supporting the lawsuit against zero bail are Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami, the latter of whom is challenging District Attorney George Gascon (D-Calif.) in the 2024 election.
“Our communities have not been shy about telling us how nervous they are about this change,” said Sheriff Luna.
“Crime victims who see offenders immediately released from custody are left with little confidence in the criminal justice system.”
“The total number of cities now suing over LA County’s $0 bail policy has reached 29. All of us want a bail policy that is fair and just for every resident of LA County,” said Deputy DA Hatami.
“That, however, should be done in collaboration with the 88 cities and their residents, victim groups and law enforcement agencies that are going to be directly affected by immediately releasing individuals who are arrested for crimes.”
