Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ two major criminal justice reform efforts face rising scrutiny from the Atlanta City Council as her reelection campaign gets underway.
Tag: bail
Posted inColumns
Report of 2,000-plus felony charges released on ‘own recognizance’ sparks concerns
A report that criminal suspects facing more than 2,000 felony charges were released without bond last year in Fulton County – including 35 charges of child molestation and 11 charges of enticing a child for indecent purposes – has renewed calls for reform from members of the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods.
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Criticism bubbles up under Atlanta’s policy to curtail cash bail
At public appearances, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms regularly celebrates the city’s moves to close the city jail and get rid of cash bail, but one member of City Council is using the word “failure” for how bail waivers are being implemented.
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Six months after Atlanta curtails cash bail, struggles for some defendants remain
Not all those nonviolent offenders who are now free from a bail bondsman have a home to go back to, or have the resources to deal with the mental illness or addiction that may be plaguing them.
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Atlanta police chief asks for an assist from some judges
“I can’t explain some of the decision-making,” Shields said. “There are a couple of judges that routinely let people go.”
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Ebenezer and partners bail out 10, for start of campaign
Campaigners looking to cut the nation’s incarceration rate say cash bail policies unjustly punish poor people who sit in jail awaiting trial as wealthy people bond out. Over the last few days, those campaigners in Atlanta have stepped up the action, starting by bailing out about 10 folks.
Posted inLatest News
Ebenezer Baptist advances criminal justice campaign with holiday bailout
Ebenezer Baptist church and partners are raising money to bail out folks out of jail next week — in time for Father’s Day and Juneteenth. For the church, the bail-out is part of a larger focus on mass incarceration.
