CONCORD, N.H. —

A major overhaul of New Hampshire's criminal justice system is coming in less than two weeks, when a new bail law will take effect.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte said the 2018 bail reform law and the subsequent bail magistrate system were failures, making it easier for suspects to avoid jail after arrest.

"It was a completely failed experiment," she said. "I heard about so many cases where people ended up on the streets, police officers shot at from people that should have been held, others assaulted. We can go on and on."

In March, the governor signed a new law to tighten the bail system, requiring that certain felony-level and violent offenders go before a judge before they can be released. The new law takes effect on Sept. 21.

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