In a just legal system, no person should be kept in a jail cell merely because they cannot afford a monetary payment. However, home detention and electronic monitoring can cost over $500/month and in much of Maryland, this amount is currently charged to the person being detained. This creates a two-tiered justice system where people who are safe to be released after arrest, but who cannot afford their own electronic monitoring, must remain in jail.

House Bill 1011 and Senate Bill 704 will remove fees for pre-trial home monitoring systems for “indigent” defendants.