The Waukesha massacre is not an argument against using common sense in setting bail

Published December 3, 2021 5:00am ET



Last week, Darrell Brooks allegedly drove his SUV through a holiday parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six people and injuring 62 others. Brooks never should have been free in the first place.

Brooks had been released from jail just two days prior on a mere $1,000 bail bond. He was given this paltry bail despite facing charges of domestic assault, obstructing a police officer, and bail-jumping. Self-appointed pundits immediately pounced upon this. This, they said, is what happens when bail is reformed, and the way to fix it is to require larger bonds for all accused criminals. Anything less, they asserted, is just a different version of the liberal “defund the police” and “abolish prisons” movement.

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