Restore Justice. End The Cash Bail System - Honolulu Civil Beat Restore Justice. End The Cash Bail System Most of us would like to believe that the law treats the rich and the poor alike, but it doesn’t. About the Author Robert Merce is a retired attorney. He served as vice-chair of the House Concurrent Resolution 85 Task Force on Prison Reform and was the principal author of the group's final report to the 2019 Legislature. He is on the Board of Directors of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and served on the Hawaii Reentry Commission. On any given day close to 900 people are locked up in Hawaii’s dismal and decrepit jails even though they are presumed innocent and have not been convicted of a crime. The vast majority are charged with relatively low-level offenses — misdemeanors, petty misdemeanors or class C felonies — and many are homeless or suffer from mental illness or substance use disorders.