Even though Democrats are fighting it, Republicans in the state Senate are moving Senate Bill 63 through the committee process. It would force judges to set bail for many charges ranging from reckless driving and trespassing to fighting and shoplifting instead of just requiring a signature as bond which lets loose repeat offenders onto the streets.
Sponsor Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, emphasizes that Senate Bill 63 addresses repeat offenders and violent criminals who avoid accountability by not putting up bail. With an eye toward Atlanta’s three-year violent crime hike, Robertson publicizes data from Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum showing that 889 arrests of repeat offenders last year accounted for nearly 29,000 criminal charges and 33 percent of people with prior felony convictions had a firearm with them at the time of the latest arrest.
“What we’re trying to do with this legislation is continue to put these guardrails up that to ensure that we take the revolving doors off of our jails and the 159 counties throughout Georgia and ensure that these individuals who go out and commit these crimes, they do have an opportunity to post bond and be allowed to go out into the community and hopefully be productive citizens,” Robertson says.
Opponents, exemplified by the American Civil Liberties Union, complain that the measure undercuts permissive “bail reform” that allows those arrested who can’t afford to pay a cash bail or put property up for collateral to stay out of jail until their case comes to court.
Robertson hopes his legislation can move to a Senate floor vote and passage soon. “Crossover day” is March 6. That’s the day by which a bill must pass out of its legislative chamber of origin to be considered by the other chamber this session.
