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Lots of speculation in the comments is answered by the article itself: - There's little/no evidence that cash bail increases the rate at which people show up f

Lots of speculation in the comments is answered by the article itself: - There's little/no evidence that cash bail increases the rate at which people show up for trial - People are (shocker) better able to defend their innocence when they haven't been rotting in jail pre-trial - People are less likely to commit other crimes before trial if they have a shorter stay in jail - Recidivism rates are lower when people spend less time in jail GREAT info about all things pretrial detention (and really all things prison) from the prison policy initiative: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/pretrial_detention/ https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/pretrial_detention/ Personal bias disclosure: I believe that imprisonment of any kind is incredibly cruel/counterproductive and that we as a society should prioritize getting as many people out of jail as possible. Justice is complex and hard and it won't be easy but I'd rather live in a world where people are seldom locked up, with no one loosing their right to vote [because of felony convictions, or for any other reason], and no one being afraid of the government that's supposed to be by/for/and of them.

koheripbal 6y ago
> Recidivism rates are lower when people spend less time in jail This one might just be confirmation bias as lesser sentences may be indicative of less violent criminal behavior. Without knowing what they controlled for, it's hard to accept this one as evidence. The others make sense.
- nobody9999 6y ago
  >> Recidivism rates are lower when people spend less time in jail >This one might just be confirmation bias as lesser sentences may be indicative of less violent criminal behavior. Without knowing what they controlled for, it's hard to accept this one as evidence. You are misunderstanding GP's point. The data shows that the less time people spend in pretrial detention (not jail/prison after conviction), the less likely they are to re-offend. And in many cases, folks arrested for really violent crimes aren't offered bail at all. If someone is arrested for a non-violent offense (petit theft for example) and bail is set at $1,000 and they can't get their hands on $1,000 (because they're poor which is why they're stealing, maybe?) they will rot in jail until the case is adjudicated. But a wealthy person arrested for beating his wife to death who can afford $50,000 bail can walk out the door and murder his girlfriend while awaiting trial. Bail just punishes the poor.
Fjolsvith 6y ago
Cash bail funds the capture of people who do not show up for trial.

koheripbal 6y ago

> Recidivism rates are lower when people spend less time in jail This one might just be confirmation bias as lesser sentences may be indicative of less violent criminal behavior. Without knowing what they controlled for, it's hard to accept this one as evidence. The others make sense.

nobody9999 6y ago
>> Recidivism rates are lower when people spend less time in jail >This one might just be confirmation bias as lesser sentences may be indicative of less violent criminal behavior. Without knowing what they controlled for, it's hard to accept this one as evidence. You are misunderstanding GP's point. The data shows that the less time people spend in pretrial detention (not jail/prison after conviction), the less likely they are to re-offend. And in many cases, folks arrested for really violent crimes aren't offered bail at all. If someone is arrested for a non-violent offense (petit theft for example) and bail is set at $1,000 and they can't get their hands on $1,000 (because they're poor which is why they're stealing, maybe?) they will rot in jail until the case is adjudicated. But a wealthy person arrested for beating his wife to death who can afford $50,000 bail can walk out the door and murder his girlfriend while awaiting trial. Bail just punishes the poor.

Fjolsvith 6y ago

Cash bail funds the capture of people who do not show up for trial.