A wave of state and local bail reforms have come under scrutiny in recent months amid rising concerns about crime and public safety. In August, President Trump signed an executive order threatening to suspend or terminate federal funding to jurisdictions that have “substantially eliminated” cash bail, and legislators in North Carolina quickly revised bail policy after a fatal stabbing on the Charlotte transit system.
Bail reform seeks to advance the Constitutional presumption of innocence and reserve jail for people who jeopardize public safety. But have reforms contributed to crime?
Leaders from the Council on Criminal Justice’s Centering Justice project hosted a vital discussion on the state of pretrial release policies in the United States and how to strike an appropriate balance between the twin goals of crime control and justice.
Panelists
- Erin George, National Director of Policy, The Bail Project
- Spurgeon Kennedy, Past President, National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies
- William Reynolds, Prosecutor, Atlantic County
- Don Stemen, Professor, Department of Criminology, Loyola University, Chicago
- Khalil Cumberbatch (moderator), Director of Engagement and Partnerships, Council on Criminal Justice
- Marc Levin (moderator), Chief Policy Counsel, Council on Criminal Justice
