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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Sam Levin in Los Angeles

‘If I could buy freedom, I would’: LA residents who can’t afford bail sue to change system

police pickup truck drives along beach near tents
LA county’s jail system has faced claims of widespread abuse and ‘barbaric’ conditions. Photograph: Étienne Laurent/EPA

Los Angeles residents jailed because they can’t afford to pay bail have filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the system that often keeps low-income people behind bars before they’ve been charged.

The complaint was filed on Monday on behalf of six people in LA jails who were recently arrested but have not yet seen a judge, been arraigned or assigned a public defender.

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