Book Synopsis
No one should sit behind bars simply because they can’t afford cash bail. Detention should be based on risk—whether someone is a real danger to the community or a flight risk—not the size of their bank account.
When freedom is tied to money, we punish poverty, not crime. People are pressured into pleading guilty—sometimes to things they didn’t do—just to avoid harsher punishment or prolonged confinement.
And the harm doesn’t stop there. Once pulled into the system, people are often shut out of jobs, housing, and opportunities they need to survive. That exclusion doesn’t reduce crime—it fuels it, forcing people into survival mode instead of stability.