Releasing people pretrial, who are legally innocent, does not harm public safety or increase crime. A briefing from grantee Prison Policy Initiative looked at communities that had data on public safety from before and after implementing pretrial reforms, and found that all saw decreases or negligible increases in crime rates or rearrests. Pretrial reforms included eliminating or limiting cash bail, implementing risk assessments, using text and call reminder systems, limiting the amount of time someone can spend in jail after arrest, and providing pretrial services to connect people to mental health and drug treatments. The evidence shows releasing people pretrial does not harm communities and can help individuals, since spending time in jail can have negative impacts on people’s work, housing, and families.
