Eliminate the Cash Bail System.

 

The purpose of this bill is to increase pretrial fairness by making a person's pretrial release based on the threat they

pose to the community, not their wealth.

 

56% of people detained in Minnesota jails are there pretrial, meaning they must be presumed innocent. Many of these

people are there because they cannot afford bail. These people cannot work or support their families, making them more

likely to commit crimes in the future. This perpetuates a system where people are punished for being poor. Releasing

more people pretrial would save our overcrowded jails lots of money.

 

"Accused" shall be defined as a person who has been accused of a crime and is awaiting trial.

 

This bill does not require any funding.

 

No judge shall order money bail for the pretrial release of a person accused of a crime. The prosecution must show

evidence that the accused person poses a threat to the community or people within it or a risk of fleeing or not

appearing for court in order to be detained until trial and that measures such as monitoring, curfews, or travel

restrictions would not be sufficient to ensure the safety of the community and the appearance of the accused at their

court date.

If the accused person fails to appear or has a history of failing to appear for hearings or trial, the judge may order

the accused on house arrest, under supervision, or in extreme cases, detain them in a jail.

This bill shall be enforced by the presiding judge of a district

 

May first, 2026