An Atlanta attorney and local official recently used a little-known Georgia law to help address jail overcrowding after personally bonding three people out of the Fulton County Jail who were being held on low bail amounts.
Mo Ivory, an attorney and Fulton County commissioner, revealed in a social media post that she paid $85 each to secure the release of three detainees charged with nonviolent offenses who were unable to afford the modest bond amounts.
Ivory said the effort highlights deeper problems within the county’s criminal justice system, where individuals can remain incarcerated not because they pose a danger to the public, but because they lack the money to pay small bonds.
Using a Little-Known Georgia Law
According to Ivory, Georgia law allows any individual to bond up to three people out of jail per year, provided certain conditions are met…