Ben Thompson
50 Cent has spoken out about the crime problem in Los Angeles and what he believes to be part of the problem.
The rapper - whose real name is Curtis Jackson - slammed the Californian city's 'zero bail' policy, which has been in force since May.
Zero bail was first introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic in a bid to free up space in crowded prisons.
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It saw the amount a criminal would have to pay to get released drop down to $0 if they were accused of a misdemeanor or a non-violent felony.
The controversial policy was suspended in July 2022 before making its return a few months ago.
It has been blamed by some for causing a spike in crime in the Golden State and 50 Cent apparently shares that point of view.
Writing on Instagram, the Candy Shop rapper fumed: "LA is finished watch how bad it gets out there. SMH [shaking my head]."
A study published by the Yolo County District Attorney's Office linked the policy to a sharp rise in violence and disorder.
The study found that suspects released without bail reoffended 70 percent more often than those who posted bail, and were rearrested on 163 percent more charges.
These suspects were also accused of 200 percent more violent crimes.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig told Fox News: "I mean, we have more people being shot at, stabbed, assaulted, robbed, beaten. These are real victims – and the numbers are staggering under zero bail."
The LA County Sheriff's Department defended the decision to bring back Zero Bail in May, telling Fox News: "The Department is aware of the preliminary injunction regarding the cash bail system, and of course will comply with any court-ordered bail schedule.
"The County is also working with the court and other stakeholders to explore ways to reduce the number of people held before arraignment because they can't afford bail and to provide the Sheriff greater release options to safely reduce the jail population, while always prioritizing public safety."
Zero Bail has been a partisan issue for a long time.
Those on the political right oppose it as they believe it is too lenient on criminals and causes further disorder.
On the other hand, the left support it because they believe that cash bail is often too high for many suspects and further perpetuates 'class and race based' inequalities within the justice system.
A recent report from California's Department of Justice did show a crime increase since 2021.
The west coast state's violent crime rate increased by 6.1% since 2021, whilst property crime were up 6.2%. Homicides dipped somewhat, but robberies shot up by 10.2%.