WHy Dignity over dollars

We have seen that our elected officials seem to be more concerned with what works for the system, rather than what’s best for the people. The recent lawsuit against the county has revealed that its money bail system violates the constitutional guarantee of pretrial liberty and destroys lives.

Dallas County is spending millions of our tax dollars to cage presumptively innocent people in the county jail; and, millions more in fighting this lawsuit to justify keeping poor people away from their families.

Despite a federal judge ruling that they have to change the bail system, the number of people in Dallas County’s jail remains about the same. The community does not have access to bail hearings. They are held without notice in secret locations, leaving people who’ve been arrested without support while they try to defend themselves. Detainees have been told not to talk during their hearing, rushed in and out of the room, given just brief seconds in front of a judge, and not guaranteed a lawyer at the initial bail hearing. This makes it hard for judges to recognize a person’s humanity or uphold their dignity. It conditions the court to see them as a case number in a sea of endless faces. People have become commodified and no longer recognized as valued members of the community.