The Facts About the New Bail Law

Last year, legislators passed a broad criminal justice reform bill that eliminated the use of cash bail for most misdemeanors and some nonviolent felony charges, in an overdue recognition that a person’s wealth shouldn’t determine their liberty. Under the new law, judges retain their discretion to set terms that ensure a person shows up for trial. New York has never permitted judges to guess whether a defendant is dangerous to determine whether they should be released before their trial – and lawmakers rightly rejected attempts to insert such a new standard into our law. But there has been much misinformation spread about the impacts of the new bail law. Below are the facts.