"The new short film Criminal highlights the injustices of the criminal legal system with a look at how for-profit bail preys on the poor and mentally ill. We're joined by three contributors to the film, musician Stew Stewart and bail reform advocates Krish Gundu and Alec Karakatsanis, to discuss how what Karakatsanis calls the "unconstitutional" system of cash bail leads to "millions of coerced guilty pleas every single year all across the country, just because people are so desperate to get out.""
"Criminal focuses on Texas's notorious Harris County Jail, where at least 15 people have died in pretrial detention just this year. Gundu explains, "We have criminalized mental illness. We've criminalized homelessness. We've criminalized reproductive rights. And so, the jail has become the emergency room of our community.""
A short film shows how for-profit cash bail exploits poor and mentally ill people, pressuring them into guilty pleas because people become desperate to secure release. The cash bail system is described as unconstitutional and responsible for millions of coerced guilty pleas annually across the country. The film focuses on Harris County Jail in Texas, where at least 15 people have died in pretrial detention this year. The narrative connects the criminal legal system to the criminalization of mental illness, homelessness, and reproductive rights. The result is that jails function as emergency rooms for communities lacking adequate social and health services.
Read at Truthout
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