“cash bail is as unnecessary as it is harmful. The people we have helped have returned to court 93% of the time, without any of their $ on the line. When people do miss court, it’s often for the reasons that anyone misses an appointment…getting time off from work…etc www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
“bail reform works: Community safety, not personal wealth, best determines who is released and who is detained. This does not mean guaranteeing everyone’s release. It simply means allowing judges to decide each case individually, using jail as a last resort.”2/5
“Our existing system subjects 100s of 1000s of legally innocent people/year to the horrors of incarceration—which creates… instability & behavioral health problems for people &…threatens public safety. Decades of mass incarceration have demonstrated…this approach is…shortsighted…& ineffective”3/5
The cost is ~”$14B each year. That money would be better spent on programs proven to reduce crime such as those focused on supportive housing, mental health care, education & jobs.”4/5
“the cycle of incarceration is reinforced by the absence of preventive services. Too often we don’t interrupt that cycle; we pass it on.” “even 72 hours in jail can increase the chance of future rearrest.”5/5