Detroit court will require judges to justify cash bail and assess ability to pay

Reform is the result of a lawsuit and is intended to challenge two-tier system where low-income people are jailed for lack of funds

A Michigan district court will implement reforms that will force judges in Detroit to state on record how implementing cash bail will protect the community.

The reforms are meant to end practices that commonly jail people from low-income and Black communities and could serve as a model for court systems across the US, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said.