Bail reforms across the US have shown that releasing people pretrial doesn’t harm public safety

Nine of every 10 detained defendants in the U.S. remain in jail awaiting trial because they cannot pay bail money. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File

President Donald Trump recently signed two executive orders targeting “cashless bail,” the policies that permit the release of people arrested for crimes pending trial without requiring them to pay money.

One executive order directs arrestees in Washington, D.C. to be “held in Federal custody to the fullest extent permissible under applicable law.” The other order calls for the withholding of federal funds to states that “substantially eliminated cash bail as a potential condition of pretrial release from custody” for many offenses.