Congressman Cohen Decries Imprisonment of Un-Convicted Juvenile in Adult Lockup
Calls on Congress to pass bill to eliminate cash bail
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) decried the treatment of a 16-year-old Memphis girl who has not been convicted but was held 40 days at the adult West Tennessee State Penitentiary before her bail was posted by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, a national human rights organization. The Congressman made the following statement:
"It's wrong to jail juveniles in adult prisons. It's particularly egregious that 16-year-old Rosalyn Holmes, who has simply been charged with a crime, was housed in to an adult prison in Henning, 50 miles and two counties away from her home and family, and was held there for 40 days because she couldn't make bail.
"The case illustrates the need for Congress to reform the cash bail system. As a co-sponsor of the No Money Bail Act (H.R. 1437), which would do away with cash bail, I once again call on Congress to take action."