East Baton Rouge Cash Bail Lawsuit
Fair Fight Initiative, MacArthur Justice Center and Advancement Project National Office sued East Baton Rouge officials in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, seeking to end the immoral and unconstitutional practice of wealth-based incarceration in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP). The lawsuit was filed on behalf of four individuals who are being held inside of EBRPP and are unable to afford their bail.
More than 1,400 people are currently incarcerated in EBRPP-approximately over 80% of whom are being held without a conviction. The lawsuit alleges that, by setting and strictly enforcing financial conditions for release without taking into account people’s ability to pay or considering non-financial alternatives, East Baton Rouge officials are effectively incarcerating hundreds of Louisianans for being too poor to pay for their freedom-a violation of their equal protection and due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment.