How Real Bail Reform Creates a Safer America

Today, President Trump signed two executive orders designed to eliminate so-called “cashless bail” programs in D.C. and nationwide. These orders threaten to strip federal funding from jurisdictions that have chosen to build fairer pretrial systems – systems where safety, not wealth, determines release.

Our new explainer, “How Real Bail Reform Creates a Safer America,” lays out the truth: Cash bail reform makes us all safer by ensuring release decisions are based on safety, not the size of someone’s bank account.

For decades, the debate around public safety and cash bail has rested on a false premise: that charging money for pretrial freedom keeps us safe. But real public safety doesn’t come from punishing poverty – it comes from building a justice system focused on safety, not wealth.

Bail reform offers a commonsense, data-driven path forward. It strengthens communities by ensuring that decisions about pretrial release are based on actual safety, not on how much money someone has.

The data is clear that bail reform has not led to increased crime. While the president is right that the current system is broken, he is wrong about the solution. His executive actions today threaten to rollback safe reforms and throw an untold number of legally innocent people in jail before trial unnecessarily.

As the report explains, a 2024 analysis confirmed what we already know on the ground: there is no link between ending cash bail and a rise in crime.

• Illinois became the first state to completely eliminate cash bail in 2023. The result? Safer communities. Violent crime dropped 7%, and property crime fell 14%.
  
• New Jersey enacted bipartisan pretrial reforms in 2017. By 2020, violent crime was down 20%. Their jail population plummeted while court appearance rates remained high.
  
• Harris County, Texas, one of the largest counties in the nation, ended cash bail for most misdemeanors and saw NO corresponding increase in violent crime.

This isn’t a debate. Both political parties agree: bail is broken. The good news is, real bail reform works. Read and share our explainer, “How Real Bail Reform Creates a Safer America,” to understand, share the truth, and protect our right to pretrial liberty.