Current bail practices are trapping the poor behind bars by basing freedom on an individual’s ability to pay. Malika Saada Saar — Google’s senior counsel on civil and human rights — and Mark Holden — chairman of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and general counsel for Koch Industries — explain how states can reform bail in a joint op-ed published by The Daily Beast.
Google and Koch are partners for criminal justice reform, focusing specifically on bail reform. “There are fairer and more effective data-driven practices consistent with fundamental principles of liberty and based on a smart-on-crime and soft-on-taxpayers approach,” the authors argue.