Bail reform, or ending cash bail for people arrested on some or all charges, is not, from a statistical standpoint, a controversial topic. That’s why it has drawn strong bipartisan support in so many states and cities. It immediately reduces the cost burden on county jails. Combined with thoughtful pretrial supervision, including ankle monitors for some defendants, there’s no drop-off in the number of people who show up when required. It significantly reduces the devastating impact that arrests can have on families of people accused of crimes, particularly in low-income, working households that are one bad break from homelessness.
Despite all the noise, there’s no real proof that bail reform increases crime rates. While it’s true that violent crime rates have shown an upward trend in some communities that have enacted bail reform, crime rates are also rising in jurisdictions where punitive cash-for-bail rules persist. Recent FBI statistics have not yet caught up with COVID-era crime surges, but in the top 10 most violent states, none had enacted bail reform ― but half the states with the lowest increases in violent crime rates had bail reform in place, including New Jersey and California, which were among the first to all but eliminate cash bail.
So why are Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders turning this issue into their latest “stop woke” rallying cry?
