Why Hoosiers should vote ‘no’ on Public Question 1

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Dear Editor:

Public Question 1 is a vaguely worded attempt to carve away our Constitutionally guaranteed rights and force Indiana taxpayers to fund more incarceration before someone has been convicted of a crime. Hoosiers should vote NO.

It’s already the prosecutor’s job to present the facts of the case and the accused’s criminal history to the judge, who can set bail at an amount that properly reflects those circumstances, or place conditions on their release, like a requirement to stay away from certain places or people. A violation of those conditions would result in the revocation of bail; this is how our criminal justice system has always worked.

Bail is not about releasing criminals to our streets. Rather, it directly upholds the legal principle of “innocent until proven guilty.” Bail makes it easier for people to continue to work, pay their bills, feed their families, and coordinate with an attorney while the case against them is pending before the court. Since some cases may take many years to complete, denial of bail can result in folks sitting in jail that whole time only to be acquitted at trial.

With PQ1, the Republican supermajority in control of our General Assembly wants to be able to deny bail to more people. Accordingly, they need voters to permit them to amend our Constitution, carving away a Constitutionally guaranteed right so they can fill more jail beds with people who haven’t yet been convicted. Preserve your Constitutional right to bail: vote NO on PQ1.

Sharon Cruz
Indianapolis