Did you know that: a $3.5 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation was awarded to the city [of Philadelphia] in 2016 aimed at reducing Philadelphia’s jail population — one of the highest incarceration rates of any major U.S. city?
Standing at the intersectionality of cash bail reform, predicative algorithms and prostitution, the need to address “crimes of survival and lifestyle” from new perspectives are becoming more and more apparent: ‘About 20 percent of those sitting in city jails are incarcerated for not being able to post cash bail, a statistic Krasner said illustrates that the system “picks on the poor.” Standing alongside the city’s chief public defender, clergy members, and elected officials, Krasner said it is unjust to require those charged with crimes such as possessing marijuana, prostitution, retail theft, and driving while under the influence to meet cash-bail requirements.’
Read more from WHYY on the topic of how Philadelphia is leading the nation in Criminal Justice Reform:
Photo: M. Dante for SWOP Behind Bars