Almost one in 20 people jailed in Mecklenburg County last year were held on failure to pay court fines or fees. Now, a new program supported by the MacArthur Foundation is modeling an evidence-based approach to criminal justice reform that changes the way people are assessed, held and released.
In November, Mecklenburg district court judges, including , began holding formal hearings to determine a defendant鈥檚 ability to pay before imposing financial punishments. Host Frank Stasio speaks with Trosch about the current failings of the pay-to-release bail system and the new effort to find alternatives.
