Last session, Tennessee's legislature passed a bill ending consideration of someone’s ability to pay bail when setting it. Locally, the bill has caused controversy as some, like Just City's Executive Director Josh Spickler, believe that because the courts can't rely on income, they aren't able to set the appropriate dollar amount of bail.
On the other hand, TN State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Eads) says that financial status was only ever first considered because “if you had a high net worth as a defendant, that the judge needed to know how high to set the bail to ensure that you were not a flight risk, but through the years [people have] used the financial status to assess if a person can pay bail.”
Joining host Eric Barnes for this week’s WKNO/Channel 10 Behind the Headlines, Taylor and Spickler discuss the local bail system, including the pros and cons of considering an individual’s ability to pay said bail.
Additionally, Spickler and Taylor talk about violent crime and gun control.
