In a sharp post he published, Haaretz's police reporter, Josh Breiner, heavily criticized the prosecution and courts' policies regarding the detention of defendants before their conviction.
According to him, the system has "forgotten" the presumption of innocence and uses imprisonment as a first resort, even in cases where there is no real danger.
Breiner used the cases of Bezalel Zini and Aviel Ben-David-reserve soldiers with no criminal record-to highlight what he sees as the absurdity of the situation. Despite the serious security charges, he questions why they are being held in jail and not under house arrest with restrictions.
Regarding Zini, he wrote: "What reason is there for Zini not to be at home in Ofra under house arrest right now? Is there a fear that he will interfere with the investigation? Take his phones, put monitors on him, take away his internet. Why should a person with no criminal record, who served in reserves, contributes to the country, pays taxes, etc., be in jail, even if he is guilty of something? There is no reason."
He later presented data showing that there are currently thousands of detainees after charges have been filed, some under "until further decision" status and some in detention until trial. According to him, the conditions of detention are harsh, and overcrowding in prisons is at its peak. He added that "the experience of detention is terrible, horrific, and it should be the exception, not the rule."
He argued that alternatives to detention, such as house arrest, monitoring, bail, license revocation, contact restrictions, or electronic tagging, should be preferred. He stated, "Only those who are truly dangerous should be in prison before being convicted," and added that the presumption of innocence should also be considered.
He concluded by saying that the balance between public security and preserving the freedom of defendants before a decision is made on their case should be reassessed. "The prosecution and courts need to go through a dramatic revolution in the field of detention and what is called 'detention