You will not believe this video about the US Money Bail Rip Off.
Except you will.
Reports from the Pretrial Justice Institute indicate that reforming the bail system would, you know, save taxpayers money.
Highlights include:
- * $14 billion in direct costs to American taxpayers to detain people who are mostly low risk and accused of nonviolent offenses, with collateral costs estimated at $140 billion annually,
- * $75 million in nonrefundable bondsmen fees collected in just one year from mostly low-income people in cases that were dropped or found not guilty in Maryland, and
- * Courts would see $78 billion in annual savings and benefits if they used evidence-based risk assessment tools in release decisions, instead of money bail.
People are starting to understand that money bail is a costly way to get bad results. A growing body of evidence—including the research in these reports—overwhelmingly demonstrates that there are better alternatives for public safety that are also less expensive,” said Cherise Fanno Burdeen, Chief Executive Officer of the Pretrial Justice Institute. “Policymakers and other stakeholders rightly want to know how much it would cost to do things differently before making any significant policy shift. These reports make it clear that moving away from money bail is a wise financial choice for counties and states that will also make communities safer and the system more fair.
