Currently, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York are the states that have largely eliminated cash bail for pre-trial release.
States Implementing No Cash Bail Policies
These states have enacted significant legislative changes to their criminal justice systems, moving away from a system where a person's freedom before trial is contingent on their ability to pay a set amount of money. The aim of these reforms is to ensure that individuals are not held in jail simply because they cannot afford bail, and that release decisions are instead based on factors such as public safety and the likelihood of the individual appearing in court.
Here is a list of the states that have no cash bail:
State | Cash Bail Status |
---|---|
Illinois | No Cash Bail |
New Jersey | No Cash Bail |
New Mexico | No Cash Bail |
New York | No Cash Bail |
These reforms represent a shift towards evaluating flight risk and danger to the community, rather than financial capacity, when determining pre-trial detention. For further details on these policies and their implications, you can consult various analyses on state bail reform initiatives.