By Iman Freeman, Nicole Hanson, and Caryn York
Maryland justice officials should take a fresh look and a new approach to addressing racial bias in our pretrial bail system, which continues to result in disparities in who is let out of jail and given monetary conditions of release that they can’t afford despite reform efforts a few years ago.
The continued reluctance of key justice officials to fully embrace Maryland’s initial pretrial reforms has put people at increased risk during the current pandemic. This reluctance is on display through the consistent imposition of bail.
