House Bill 1176

Background: House Bill 1176 is an act to clarify bond or pre-trial release upon sobriety program participation.

Our Stance: The ACLU of South Dakota supports House Bill 1176.

This bill would prohibit withholding an individual's bond or pre-trial release for failure to pay for fees related to the 24/7 sobriety program, unless the court finds the defendant has the ability to do so. Pretrial participants in the program should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and their liberty should not be determined by their ability to pay costly fees.