Cash bail and conviction fees are mere tools to keep poor people behind bars, and generate revenue for the city - at least, that's the take from the Vera Institute of Justice, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to "drive change; to urgently build and improve justice systems that ensure fairness, promote safety, and strengthen communities."The Vera Institute is one of many organizations pushing to reform key elements of the criminal justice framework in New Orleans, and today Newell invited Jon Wool, Vera's Director of Justice Policy, and Flozell Daniels, President and CEO of the Foundation for Louisiana, into the studio to discuss their plans to implement a 'no cash bail' system."We refer to it as no 'money bail,'" Wool began. "In Criminal District Court, most people who post money bail are posting a commercial surety bond, and so its not the elimination of solely one form of money bail, but both forms. Our approach is a good bit broader than simply addressing money bail, but addressing money in the system more broadly. We call it a system of 'money injustice...' we're taking a somewhat more holistic approach. Money is a problem throughout the system, and we're trying to rid the system of its focus on money, because when you've got your eyes on money, its hard to keep focus on what we really care about, which is creating a safe community as well as insuring fairness and safety for all who come before the court."
