Which groups—by income level, race, and health status—are most harmed when governments roll back cashless bail reforms and reinstate money bail systems?

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Pretrial detainees—individuals awaiting trial—make up roughly 67% of county jail populations, with some jurisdictions reaching 75% (County Jails at a Crossroads: An Examination of the Jail Population and Pretrial Release, National Association of Counties, 2015)(). Bail amounts average $10,000 for a felony, yet 32% of people booked into local jails report annual incomes below $10,000, meaning low-income defendants are jailed not on risk assessment but purely for inability to pay (Prison Policy Initiative, April 15, 2024)(). The National Institute of Corrections found that detaining low- and moderate-risk defendants even for a few days is associated with a 40% higher likelihood of new criminal activity before trial and a significant increase in recidivism post-disposition (Lowenkamp, VanNostrand & Holsinger, 2013; Investigating the Impact of Pretrial Detention on Sentencing Outcomes, National Institute of Corrections, 2013)(). Black people, who constitute 29% of the U.S. population, represent 43% of pretrial detainees and are jailed at more than three times the rate of white people, compounding the wealth-based inequity (Prison Policy Initiative, April 15, 2024)(). Defendants with chronic health conditions and those experiencing homelessness face additional barriers—40% of people in jail report a chronic health issue and 1 in 8 metro bookings involve homelessness—intensifying the harms of pretrial detention.

Which groups—by income level, race, and health status—are most harmed when governments roll back cashless bail reforms and reinstate money bail systems?

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