Wisconsin Dem Senate candidate wants to eliminate cash bail despite Waukesha massacre

A leading Democratic Senate candidate in Wisconsin still wants to eliminate cash bail despite concerns that low or non-existent bails could fuel further increases in violent crime. 

The campaign for Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes defended the Democratic front-runner’s calls to eliminate cash bail.

Barnes sponsored a 2016 state bill to end cash bail in Wisconsin as well as a separate bill the same year that aimed to reduce penalties for people who jumped bail in certain circumstances.

WAUKESHA SUSPECT DARRELL BROOKS DUE BACK IN COURT AS NEW DOCUMENTS REVEAL HE BLAMED SON IN 2020 GUN CASE

Barnes’ bail-jumping bill would have lowered the penalty for violating pretrial release agreements. His campaign spokeswoman also confirmed Barnes’ continued support for the bail-jumping bill to local press.

"The lieutenant governor believes we should decide who is imprisoned before their trial begins based on how much of a risk they pose to the community, not on how much money they have," Maddy McDaniel, spokeswoman for Barnes' campaign, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday.

Progressive Democrats from members of the "Squad" to President Biden himself have backed the abolition of cash bail.

Darrell Brooks, the alleged Waukesha parade attacker who is accused of taking the lives of six people — including a child — was released on a $1,000 bail five days before the massacre on domestic violence charges.

The previous charges accused Brooks of running over the mother of his children with the same SUV used in the parade attack. He is currently being held on $5 million bail.

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In New York, more than 3,400 people in total were re-arrested for violent crimes after their release following implementation of the state's new bail law, according to data from the New York Office of Court Administration reviewed by the Times Union.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed reporting.