But new legislation headed to Gov. Cuomo's desk could set them free.
Passed unanimously in June by the Senate and Assembly, the bill would allow charitable organizations to post bail for poor defendants held on petty charges.
It was sponsored in the Senate by state Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx) and modeled on the Bronx Freedom Fund.
Not only do thousands of Bronxites serve time because they can't afford bail; many innocent defendants plead guilty rather than wait behind bars for jury trials, said Rivera, who expects Cuomo to sign the bill this month.
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