JUSTICE ACTION NETWORK APPLAUDS SENATORS DURBIN, LEE, & COONS FOR INTRODUCING LEGISLATION TO ELIMINATE PRESUMPTION OF PRETRIAL DETENTION FOR NONVIOLENT DRUG OFFENSES
Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act Would Help Reduce Pretrial Detention, Slow Spread of COVID-19 in Prisons, Save Taxpayer Dollars, and Strengthen Public Safety
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Chris Coons (D-DE), introduced the Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act – bipartisan legislation that would eliminate the presumption of pretrial detention for nonviolent drug offenses and allow judges to review cases based on a person’s individual and unique circumstances. In response to the introduction of this critical legislation, Inimai Chettiar, Federal Director of Justice Action Network, the country’s largest bipartisan criminal justice organization, issued the following statement:
“For far too long, individuals charged with nonviolent drug offenses who pose no threat to public safety have languished in prisons before even having their day in court – it’s past time for that practice to end. As the pandemic continues to spread through our prisons and jails, it’s never been more important to safely reduce incarceration, and that’s exactly what the Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act would do.”
“We applaud Senators Durbin, Lee, and Coons for introducing this targeted, timely, and much-needed legislation that will help stop the spread of COVID-19 in prisons, save taxpayer dollars when we need it most, and ultimately lead to safer communities.”
The Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act would:
Eliminate the presumption of pretrial detention for nonviolent drug offenses
Allow courts to make an individualized determination regarding whether pretrial detention is appropriate for each defendant charged with a nonviolent drug offense
Provide for pretrial detention if a court determines that a person poses a threat to public safety or a flight risk
Save taxpayer dollars by reducing reliance on pretrial detention, which costs an average of $18,615 per individual
Help stop the rapid spread of COVID-19 in prison by reducing pre-trial detention