Civil rights groups sue to end cash bail in Riverside County, alleging dangerous jail conditions

Civil rights groups sue to end cash bail in Riverside County, alleging dangerous jail conditions

A class-action lawsuit seeks to end Riverside County's use of a cash bail system to detain people awaiting trial, alleging high death rates and squalid conditions in the county jails.

Faith Leaders, Detained People, and Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit in California Challenging Riverside County’s Bail Process

Riverside County, Calif. — On May 26, 2025, individuals detained in Riverside County jails filed a class action lawsuit challenging Riverside County’s cash-based jailing of individuals between their arrest and first court hearing, as well as Riverside County’s unnecessary delay of that hearing. Rabbi David Lazar... The post Faith Leaders, Detained People, and Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit in California Challenging Riverside County’s Bail Proc…

Civil rights groups sue to end cash bail system in Riverside County

A cadre of civil rights groups brought a lawsuit late Wednesday challenging Riverside County’s use of cash bail to detain people as they await trial, citing squalid conditions inside the county’s jails where dozens of inmates have died in recent years. The class-action suit is the latest to challenge the legality of cash bail systems in California after a 2021 state Supreme Court ruling found it is unconstitutional to jail defendants solely beca…