# California to end cash bail system: good or bad?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-to-end-cash-bail-system-good-or-bad/820468>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [August 29, 2018, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-to-end-cash-bail-system-good-or-bad/820468 "2018-08-29T13:18:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-to-end-cash-bail-system-good-or-bad/820468/41 "2018-09-17T19:08:13Z")

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> [@hogarth](#):
>
> New Jersey has a similar algorithm-based system (according to a Planet Money episode), and supposedly it includes 9 factors, some of which are:
> 
> - Do you have any bench warrants outstanding on you?
> - How old are you? (people younger than 23 are more likely to commit another crime while on bail)
> - Do you have a prior conviction for violence in the past X years?
> 
> They didn’t mention any of the factors you proposed, but they could be in there too.
> 
> [Episode 783: New Jersey Bails Out : Planet Money : NPR](https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/07/12/536905881/episode-783-new-jersey-bails-out)

I am reading this thread because I heard that podcast, which was excellent. They described a case study of a guy who was accused of a crime by police\* then later the prosecution dropped the case when they saw evidence that proved this guy was innocent. But in the meantime he spent about 3 months in jail because he couldn’t afford bail; lost his job. So this guy’s life was fucked up for no particular reason and spent more time in jail than some people found guilty. This is the problem that eliminating bail is supposed to solve, and apparently NJ has been very successful.

* * *

\*Police grabbed him on the street with no warning and later claimed he had a gun. He did not. A gun was found at the scene. The story did not explain why the police went after him in the first place–they just drove up, jumped out of a car, and detained him.

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