In a live interview with Houston Public Media, The Bail Project’s Deputy Director of Policy Nicole Zayas Manzano broke down new data showing that Harris County’s move away from cash bail for most misdemeanors is a “win-win-win.” The court-appointed monitor’s report reveals that the 2019 reforms have saved taxpayers millions of dollars; decreased rearrests by 5%; improved the lives of tens of thousands of persons arrested for misdemeanors, and these large-scale changes have produced no increase in new offenses by persons arrested for misdemeanors. Zayas Manzano explained that by helping people get back to court without the “crushing financial burden” of bail, the county is preventing the cycle of job and housing loss that often leads to new crimes. Notably, the data shows that pretrial releases are now evenly split across racial and ethnic groups, proving that the system is becoming more equitable without compromising public safety.
We need your help to secure freedom for people trapped behind bars because of unaffordable bail.
Your support gives hope to the thousands of people still trapped in pretrial detention. We’ve supported more than 40,000 clients through free bail assistance and community-based support services like affordable housing and healthcare, and mental health services. You can help secure the freedom of thousands more.
The Bail Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is only able to provide direct services and sustain systems change work through donations from people like you.
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