Money bail imprisons

My father is a police officer. When I was in elementary school, he took me to the local police station, led me into a cold, gray cell and shut the door.

“I just want you to know what this feels like,” he said, “so you’ll never want to be here again.” About 30 seconds later, he let me out.

The same way I walked away from the station smiling that day, hundreds of thousands do the same every year. They are arrested, and over the course of days or hours, if they make bail, they return to their lives until trial.

But for those who have low income or no income, the price of freedom is too high. Though they are innocent till proved guilty in the eyes of the law, they must sit behind bars and await their day in court. They cannot work. They cannot take their children to school. They cannot do what rich people accused of the same crime can do.

The result is a system where the wealthy walk and those without deep pockets wait in the deep hole of confinement. They are held not because they pose a greater threat to society, but simply for their failure to pay.

Not only does this lead to an un-American inequity of justice, it perpetuates a cycle of poverty that ultimately degrades all of society. Understanding this challenge, states like New Jersey have virtually abolished bail if the crime is minor.

I believe the solution for Arkansas is simple: Money bail must go. KENDRELL COLLINS Fayetteville