(WWJ) The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Detroit -- saying the city is violating the rights of poor people by holding them jail with a bail they cannot afford.
The ACLU of Michigan filed a lawsuit Sunday to try to force changes at 36th District Court after the group says magistrates are setting bail without determining someone's ability to pay.
The lawsuit says people stuck in jail can lose jobs and homes as a result.
Some courts have already taken action to try to prevent the situation the ACLU is pointing out. In February, Michigan Chief Justice Bridget McCormack announced an effort to try to reduce jail costs by setting reasonable bonds. Five courts are participating, but the Detroit court is not among them.
"A person's freedom should not depend on how much money they have," Dan Korobkin, ACLU of Michigan's deputy legal director, told the Detroit News. "Bail was originally intended to ensure a person returns to court to face charges against them. But instead, the money bail system has morphed into mass incarceration of the poor. It punishes people not for what they've done but because of what they don't have."
Among those who support bail reform is Attorney General Dana Nessel, who has said she represented many clients who were incarcerated for minor offenses because they couldn't make bond.
"When you keep people locked up for really no other reason than being poor, you're not helping society," Nessel said in March, per the Detroit News. "It actually increases recidivism rates, and it costs a lot of money to the state."
