It is no secret that the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country on earth. There are myriad reasons why that number is so high, and opinions differ on what can be done about it, especially as violent crime rates have risen across the country. But despite increasing calls for states and cities to roll back reforms of cash bail, a new report by New York City's budget watchdog suggests bail leniency is having the right effect.
In 2019, Democrats in the New York legislature passed a bill that eliminated cash bail and pretrial detention for most non-violent felonies and nearly all misdemeanors. In those scenarios where a judge does still require money for bail, he or she must take into account the defendant's finances and ability to pay. The goal of the reforms was to greatly reduce the number of people stuck in jail simply because they were unable to pay to get out.
