The Republican-controlled state Senate passed legislation Thursday that would mostly do away with the granting of no-cash bail to criminal suspects in Georgia.
Senate Bill 63, which passed 31-23 largely along party lines, would prohibit judges from ordering no-cash bail unless the accused has been charged with a crime that does not carry a jail or prison sentence. No-cash bail would apply to a long list of violent and non-violent crimes, from murder and rape to possession of marijuana.
The legislation is aimed at a rise in crime across Georgia that cities and counties aren’t doing enough to combat,” said Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, the bill’s chief sponsor and a former law enforcement officer.
“The individuals going out and committing these crimes are not new criminals,” Robertson said. “The vast majority are recidivists, individuals the system has been kind to. “
But Democrats argued the bill would be counterproductive. Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, cited studies showing that the longer a criminal suspect sits in jail, the more likely that person is to become a repeat offender.
“This bill is mean spirited,” said Sen. Nabilah Islam, D-Lawrenceville. “It unfairly targets Georgia’s poor … and makes Georgia less safe by making it more likely people will end up back in the criminal justice system.”
McLaurin praised former Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, for his efforts to enact criminal justice reform in Georgia through initiatives including…
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