New York City is reportedly ending bail for low-level crimes

(Image credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

published 8 July 2015

New York City is doing away with cash bail for defendants of low-level or non-violent crimes, The Associated Press reports ahead of the city's official announcement Wednesday. The $18 million plan will replace bail with supervision options such as text message reminders, required drug or behavioral therapies, and daily check-ins.

Bail has long been criticized for targeting the poor, but it has also played a role in two recent high-profile deaths at the Rikers Island jail complex. Unable to make his $2,500 bail for trespassing, a mentally ill homeless man recently died in his hot cell, and last month Kalief Browder, 22, who was imprisoned for three years as a teenager without trial on Rikers Island, committed suicide. At 16, Browder had been unable to pay his $3,000 bail on charges of stealing a backpack.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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