PUTNAM COUNTY, Ga. — A bill headed to Gov. Brian Kemp could put more people in jail for misdemeanor charges.
Senate Bill 63 makes it so a judge will now have to set a bond for certain offenses before people are released.
"The majority of the people that contact me unfortunately just aren't able to come up with the funds necessary," Reza Sedghi said.
He is an attorney with Sedghi Law Firm in Macon.
Now that the state is looking to require bail for 30 new crimes, over half of them misdemeanors like marijuana possession or small thefts.
"You have a lot of lower-income, poverty-class folks that are charged with these," Sedghi said.
He says this will mean more people sitting in jail waiting for a judge to set their bond.
"The person may sit there for weeks or weeks or maybe even months before their public defender takes the in front of the judge to reduce their bond," Sedghi said.
He, like others, worry it could lead to overcrowding in jails.
"I think it will increase short-term jail populations up a little bit," Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said.
He says the law requires suspects to appear before a judge within 24 to 48 hours.
"It may cause people to stay in jail another day or something like that," Sills said.
He says that with other more serious charges like battery, animal cruelty, "Reckless stunt driving, promoting drag racing, stalking," it can help prevent more crime on the street.
"Your record has proved that there is a likelihood you're going to commit another crime," Sills said.
Sheriff Sills says people required to post bond can also post property bonds or work with bail bondsmen.
You can read the full bill here.