I'm writing to urge you to take immediate action to end wealth-based detention in New York. New York's bail practices undermine fairness, equity, and justice. Today, there are about 16,000 people held in jails across the state awaiting trial; these people stand accused and have not been convicted of anything. Most are in jail simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. Pretrial incarceration has devastating consequences on communities and individuals, with people frequently losing their jobs, homes, and children as a result of their detention. And the extraordinary stress that this causes falls disproportionally on communities of color. No one should be in jail because they can’t afford to buy their freedom. Please take action to fix bail in New York. We must end wealth-based detention. The time is now.

I'm writing to urge you take immediate action to fix the bail system in our state. As New Yorkers, we value justice, fairness, and equal opportunity. But our broken justice system is undermining these values. There are over 25,000 people detained in local jails across New York State on any given day; nearly 70% are being detained pretrial. This means they have not been convicted—they have only been charged with a crime, are presumed innocent, and are awaiting their day in court. Most are detained in jail pretrial simply because they cannot afford to pay cash bail. No one should be held in jail simply because they cannot afford to buy their freedom. Please take action now to enact meaningful reform.

It's time for bail reform. Current bail pratices are racially biased, unjust, and costly to the taxpayer. Thousands of people who were not convicted of a crime are in jail every day simply because they cannot afford to buy their freedom. That's not right. I'm urging you to support meaningful reform to our broken justice system. Pass bail reform now.