Marcella Dake spent a combined seven months in jail before the Bail Project paid to have her released and the possession and assault charges she was facing ultimately dropped.    

"It made me feel not so good about myself. You know, you're not doing anything. It just felt like I was a bad person because I was in jail," said Dake. "Are you innocent until proven guilty? Because they treat you like a prisoner, you know, and they shouldn't."

Dake’s story is a common one — spending weeks, months or years in jail waiting on a court date because you can’t afford to bail yourself out.  

But over the last several years, bail reform has picked up steam across the country.  

Some courts in New York, Washington D.C. and Illinois have all experimented with reforms — sometimes controversial — that have allowed more defendants to go free while awaiting trial. The reforms have been fiercely debated with opponents claiming they increase crime.   

"Bail reform has to be changed, it’s ridiculous," said Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association. 

And advocates say it finally takes an unjust burden off the poor and helps prevent pushing people into a tailspin of lost jobs and broken families.

"All Illinoisans will live in a safer more just state with this law on the books," said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

Here in Houston, a federal lawsuit forced Harris County, the largest county in Texas, to take on misdemeanor bail reform in 2017. 

And while the reform was and still is controversial, a new study claims the reforms not only reduced pre-trial jail time for defendants but also increased public safety.   

Paul Heaton from the University of Pennsylvania was the lead author on the study. Heaton focused on those newly released individuals. 

"In no cases, is there any evidence that crime goes up," said Heaton. 

SEE MORE: Amended Autopsy: Black Man Died Due To Sedative, Restraint

A federal judge required county judges to release any individuals charged with misdemeanors who would ordinarily qualify for bail.  

"So what would you expect to see in the data, if it were true that releasing people leads to more crime. We should see higher future contact, right? More charges, you know, more felonies being filed against those folks. And, you know, when you look at the data, it's pretty clear that's just that's not true. That doesn't happen at all," he said. 

In the first six months following this change, there were 1,500 more people released under the reforms. Following them for three years, Heaton found a 6% decrease in prosecutions that would be expected based on historical trends. Not only that, but things like guilty pleas and time served also dropped.  

Doug Griffith is the president of the Houston Police Union and he’s been an outspoken opponent of bail reform.  

"We completely agree with the fact that you shouldn't be in jail just because you're poor, on misdemeanor charges. Now felony charges are a different animal," said Griffith. 

Griffith points to the substantial rise in homicides in Houston and across the country over the past two years.  

Houston’s homicide rate jumped by 42% and 17% in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Nationwide, the FBI reported a 30% rise in homicides in 2020.  

"As the bond reform for the misdemeanors went about it kind of transitioned and got sucked into the felony bond system, which was not the intent. It's been a disastrous program that's been shoved into Harris County that has cost lives," he said.  

Griffith claims judges in Harris County have been too lenient on repeat offenders, particularly those charged with violent felonies.    

SEE MORE: Curbing People With Mental Illness Away From Jail

"Misdemeanor bail has worked. Now, if you want to ask, has some judge made a mistake? Have they had a chance to push the reset button? Would they do something different? I'm sure that is the case," said Harris County commissioner Rodney Ellis.

Ellis was one of the first public officials in the county to throw his support behind bail reform.  

And while the reform he supported specifically targeted misdemeanor offenders, he says some of the same principles apply for felony cases.  

"If you believe in equal protection under the law, if you and I have the same profile, whether we are accused of a misdemeanor, or felony, the same standards apply to both of us," said Ellis. 

He said the rise in homicides in Houston has nothing to do with bail.  

"I think the big issue is a proliferation of easy access to guns. We spend more time banning books in schools than banning guns, but it's easier to go for the sound bite and blame everything on bail," said Ellis. 

For Marcella Dake, who lost her job and seven months of her freedom because she couldn’t afford bail, she’s still putting the pieces back together. 

"It took my time away. You know, for me pursuing to do better for myself. It took put a stop on my life, you know that hold on all my life," said Dake. 

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Almost 80 years ago, people of Japanese descent from the West Coast were evacuated and forced to live in internment camps.

122,000 men, women and children of Japanese descent were forced to leave everything behind — their businesses, homes and properties. They were only allowed to bring personal items they could carry in their arms.

Kaz Ideno was born in California and spent nearly four years of his childhood at camps in Arkansas and Texas.

"I don't know what made me arrive to the conclusion that we're in jail," said Ideno. "We're in prison."

Saturday, Jan. 19 marks the 80th anniversary of Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the executive order that authorized the internment camps under the argument that people of Japanese heritage posed a national security risk.

As we remember this stain in American history, a digital exhibit in Chicago called "Uprooted" aims to teach the next generation so we never forget. 

"It's part of a larger effort to capture oral histories of elders," said Kat Nagasawa, lead producer of the project. "What Uprooted tries to do is really try to package those stories in a way that's accessible to students and teachers."

Through graphics and videos, it follows Ideno and two other survivors as they trace the effects of their evacuation from California to their incarceration during WWII and then finally their resettlement in Chicago.

Despite being in camp for much of his childhood, Ideno says he felt a sense of shame and internal hate that he carried with him for a long time.

"I wanted to prove I was not Japanese-American," he said. "Accept [that] everything is American."

Even when his parents pushed for Japanese schooling after they were freed from the camp, Ideno pushed back and stopped learning the language.

It took Ideno years to embrace his culture and identity. Although he doesn't speak Japanese and at one point called himself Gene, he now celebrates his identity around his home. He also attends cultural events with traditional dancing to honor his ancestors.

"I kind of feel like I'm going full-circle in my life and coming back from leaving it," Ideno said.

The Japanese American Services Committee stores personal items from that time period to be preserved and shared.

"It's so very important for those stories to be told in the voices of the people who were directly impacted," said Emma Saito Lincoln, JASC Legacy Center director. "Whether that is the people who

were incarcerated themselves or the descendants of those people."

Illinois is the first state to require teaching Asian-American history, including this hurtful chapter, in all public schools.

This story was originally published by Cat Sandoval of Newsy.

CINCINNATI — A former Hamilton County deputy fired for "excessive force" against an inmate in June 2020, was found not guilty Friday of assaulting the same prisoner.

Judge Bernie Bouchard acquitted Jesse Franklin, 39, of misdemeanor assault following a brief bench trial in Hamilton County Municipal Court.

"He had a use-of-force that the judge found was lawful," Franklin's defense attorney Mike Allen said. "He kicked him to take away the threat."

Nick Ballanchino was being processed by then-Sgt. Franklin at the Hamilton County Justice Center June 9, 2020, after being arrested for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and obstructing official business.

Jail video shows deputies struggling to get the hand-cuffed Ballanchino under control. Deputies took Ballanchino to the floor where Franklin said the prisoner bit down on Franklin's boot. In response, Franklin kicked Ballanchino in the head, resulting in a hospitalization where the inmate received five stitches, according to a release from Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters' office.

Sheriff Jim Neil said Franklin was fired in July 2020 “after an investigation revealed that he used excessive force.” Ballanchino filed a lawsuit against Franklin and the Sheriff's Office, saying he still gets headaches and dizziness from the incident.

Allen said he expects Franklin to try to get his job back.

READ MORE
I-Team: Hamilton County deputy accused of kicking inmate had been involved in one previous use-of-force incident
Hamilton County deputy charged with assault, accused of kicking inmate in head
Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil orders review of how deputies reported jail use-of-force incident

Three former inmates have reportedly filed a federal civil rights lawsuit after they say they were forced to listen to the children's song “Baby Shark" on repeat.

According to The Oklahoman, they are suing Oklahoma County commissioners, the county sheriff, the jail trust and two former officers at the jail.

An investigation found the officers handcuffed the inmates to a wall and played the song loudly, over and over, as a form of punishment, The Kansas City Star reported. The lawsuit reportedly compares the action to torture.

The officers were charged in 2020. They are scheduled to go to trial in February, The Oklahoman reports.

The inmates are reportedly seeking $75,000 in damages.

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 15-year-old who was sent to a detention center for not completing schoolwork will be released from custody to her mother.

The Michigan Court of Appeals made the ruling Friday.

Grace had gotten into legal trouble last year, and as one of the conditions of her probation, she had to attend school and complete classwork, which her mother tells ProPublica her daughter was doing until the pandemic hit. She was ordered to a juvenile detention center for violating probation after not completing online coursework.

Oakland County Judge Mary Ellen Brennan ruled on July 20 to keep Grace in detention after violating probation by failing to complete online school work.

Brennan said she had to consider the actions that placed Grace on probation to begin with. Last fall, arguments between the teen and her mother turned violent. The judge says the mother was the victim and the daughter the aggressor.

ProPublica, a nonprofit publication, brought attention to Grace's story.

"This is a student with disabilities who was struggling with remote learning situation and ended up in detention because of that," said Jodi Cohen, a reporter with ProPublica Chicago.

"In school the student gets one-on-one support from teachers and is allowed extra time to complete assignments because of (ADHD) and other disabilities," Cohen said.

Without that support and the daily structure she was used to, Grace struggled. So she reached out to her special education teacher, "to say she needed help and that one-on-one tutoring began the day after the violation against probation was filed against her," Cohen said.

ProPublica's investigation also found the situation may have been influenced by race in addition to Grace's learning disabilities. Grace is Black. "The case may also reflect, some experts and Grace’s mother believe, systemic racial bias. Grace is Black in a predominantly white community and in a county where a disproportionate percentage of Black youth are involved with the juvenile justice system," the ProPublica investigation stated.

The following statement was released on behalf of Grace's mother:
"She is enjoying her daughter being home, and will determine her and Grace’s interest in speaking publicly next week. In the interim, they are both extremely and deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support from around the country, and for Grace’s release; she is anxious to be with her family."

View the full order from the Michigan Court of Appeals below:
Release order for Grace on Scribd

Related video above: Last year, a woman who was illegally checking out Yellowstone National Park fell into a hot spring and suffered severe burns

A Connecticut woman who walked directly on thermal features at Yellowstone National Park in July was sentenced to seven days in jail, prosecutors said.

Madeline S. Casey, 26, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor offense, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming.

"Although a criminal prosecution and jail time may seem harsh, it's better than spending time in a hospital's burn unit," acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray said.

In July at the park's Norris Geyser Basin, Casey and another person left a protective walkway, approached a thermal pool and walked directly on the ground. Signs nearby instruct visitors to remain on the boardwalk.

"The ground is fragile and thin and scalding water just below the surface can cause severe or fatal burns. More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone's hot springs," park spokesperson Morgan Warthin said in the statement.

A judge ordered Casey to pay $2,040 in fines, fees and community service, according to court documents. Her jail time must be served by Jan. 31, 2022, and she is banned from the park during her two-year probation.

Casey and her attorney, Ryan Wright, did not respond to CNN's request for comment Thursday.

Officials have been stressing the importance of adhering to safety signs at the national park.

Video above: The Top 5 most visited national parks during the pandemic

In May last year, a woman was burned after falling into a thermal feature at Yellowstone when it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She told park rangers she was moving back to take photos when she fell at the Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most famous geysers in the world.

Two men last year were caught trespassing on the cone of Old Faithful, which is a closed thermal area. They were sentenced to 10 days in jail and five years of probation. They were also ordered to pay $540 restitution and banned from the park for five years.

"Visitors must realize that walking on thermal features is dangerous, damages the resource, and illegal," Park Chief Ranger Sarah Davis said regarding their sentencing. "Law enforcement officers take this violation seriously."

OXFORD, Ohio — A 21-year-old construction contractor from northern Ohio is in jail, accused of sexually assaulting a Miami University student early Saturday after giving her a ride home from a bar.

Zachary Michael Frankart of Clyde in Sandusky County, was arrested and booked into the Butler County Jail on suspicion of rape and for theft, for allegedly taking items belonging to the woman, the release stated.

Oxford police responded around 1:20 a.m. to North College Avenue. A passerby called 911 who reported he found a crying woman lying in a front who said she had been raped.

The Miami student said she did not know the assailant but that she accepted a ride from him from an uptown bar, according to a release posted to the Oxford Division of Police Facebook page.

Police officers and detectives identified a suspect within hours of the sexual assault report and found him at a local hotel.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Jared "Drake" Bell, the Nickelodeon star who played Drake in the TV show “Drake and Josh,” has been indicted by a grand jury in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, according to court records.

Bell, 34, has been indicted on charges of attempted endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. Though, it's unclear at this time what the actor and singer did to warrant the charges.

According to court documents, the date of the offense was Dec. 1, 2017. Records show he is a resident in West Hollywood, California.

Bell, who also goes by Drake Campana, tweeted in October 2017 that he was coming to Cleveland’s The Odeon to play on Dec. 1, 2017.

Bell was also in Kent, Ohio on May 19 for a concert at The Outpost.

Bell was arraigned in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges and waived the reading of the indictment.

A personal bond was set for $2,500. Terms of his bond included having no contact with the victim and he must submit a DNA specimen, which are all standard procedures for defendants. Court records show Bell posted bond the same day as his arraignment.

His first pre-trial has been scheduled for June 17 at 9 a.m. in the courtroom of Judge Timothy McCormick.

This story was originally published by Kaylyn Hlavaty at WEWS.