First-Ever Bail Reform Legislation Introduced in Congress, Amid Strong Momentum for Criminal Justice Reform

Today, a group of Congressmen led by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) introduced the No More Money Bail Act of 2016. The bill would reform the country’s bail system by denying states access to Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) funds until they end the use of monetary payment as a condition for pretrial release. Byrne JAG is one of the main federal law enforcement grant programs, directing hundreds of millions of dollars annually to state law enforcement agencies. The bill would also prohibit the use of money bail at the federal level.

“Too many individuals are currently held without trial simply because they cannot afford bail,” said Michael Collins, Deputy Director of Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of National Affairs. “Many of them are charged with drug offenses, therefore the nexus between the drug war and money bail is clear.”

Currently, around 60 percent of individuals in jail in the U.S. are pretrial detainees who have not been convicted of any crime. Such a system contradicts the ethos of “innocent until proven guilty”, and has an adverse impact on low-income families and communities of color. While some states have taken steps to reform their criminal justice system, more needs to be done. The push for bail reform comes as Congress considers a vote on bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation that would reform the federal prison system and reduce mandatory minimum sentencing for people convicted of drug offenses.

One of the Drug Policy Alliance’s most groundbreaking victories to date is passing comprehensive bail reform in New Jersey’s state legislature and at the ballot box.  The reform will improve New Jersey’s broken bail system by (1) declaring non-monetary pretrial release the default option for the majority of defendants; (2) establishing a pretrial services agency in each county to supervise low-risk individuals who are released pending trial; (3) mandating the use of a validated risk assessment tool when evaluating individuals for release; (4) permitting the absolute detention of truly dangerous individuals; and (5) guaranteeing timelines for a speedy trial.