‘Justice by geography.’ Where you live in Kentucky often determines if you stay in jail.

June 14, 2019

Is Kentucky’s cash bail system fair? This defendant says no.

Keith White speaks from the the Fayette County Detention Center on Aug. 9, 2018. White was arrested in 2018 for possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana. He spent 83 days in jail because he was unable to post a $7,500 bond. By Alex Slitz

Keith White has not been convicted of the crimes he was accused of last August.

Yet, he was in the Fayette County Detention Center for 83 days. White couldn’t post the $7,500 bond set by now-retired Fayette County District Court Judge Megan Thornton after he was arrested on possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, two traffic violations and a gun charge on Aug. 3.

“I couldn’t call anyone to even post the bond,” White said in an interview room at the jail in mid-August. “I wish they would either let me out or just get this over with … let me start serving my time.”

White’s mother is more blunt.

Last updated on June 14, 2019.