Bail Reform Paper FINAL-V1
Bail Reform Paper FINAL-V1
Bail Reform Paper FINAL-V1
September 2016
The U.S. imprisons people at a higher rate than any other nation
on earth. In doing so, we cause great damage to the lives of millions
of Americans. A fair and just society is one that substantially reduces
incarceration, using it only when no other options can keep us safe.
Locking up people before trial because they cannot afford to pay bail is
a leading cause of mass incarceration in Washington state and elsewhere.
Reforming our state’s treatment of people before trial, including the
use of money bail, will result in fewer people unnecessarily held behind
bars. This is why advocating for fair and effective alternatives to pretrial
detention is an important part of the ACLU of Washington’s Campaign
for Smart Justice. This paper discusses problems with our current
system and offers broad recommendations for reform.
Jaime Hawk
Legal Strategy Director
ACLU of Washington's Campaign for Smart Justice
In our society, liberty is the norm, and
detention prior to trial or without trial
is the carefully limited exception.
Introduction
A person’s financial resources should never determine whether he or she
sits behind bars. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening in our
state. Some people routinely are incarcerated before they even stand trial
because they can’t come up with the money for bail.
Current practices that force people to stay in jail before their trial are
contrary to the fundamental American principle that one is innocent
until proven guilty. Accused people who can’t afford bail are instead
treated as if they have already been tried and convicted.
The original purpose of bail was as a deposit intended to ensure that the
accused person would return to court for trial. Today, money bail has
For people facing become an excessive financial burden, one so great that it prevents the
criminal charges in accused from getting out of jail while his or her case is pending.
our state, there are A court’s decision to release an accused person before trial is one of the
two systems – one for most critical decisions made in a case. Keeping people in jail before trial
the wealthy and one seriously harms their prospects in court. People who are locked up are
less able to assist their attorneys in preparing a defense. To make matters
for the poor worse, judges sometimes set bail before the accused person has even been
assigned an attorney who can advocate for the client's release.
Poor people, people of color, and people with certain disabilities are
disproportionately affected by the unfairness of bail. They are more likely
to be behind bars before trial, and this leads to a greater likelihood that
they will be convicted and incarcerated.
Individuals jailed
before trial are more The use of money bail is not the only means to ensure that a person
will appear at future court hearings. Courts can impose non-financial
likely to receive a conditions such as reporting to a pretrial services office or maintaining
sentence of jail or employment, training, or education routines to keep track of persons
prison, and for a awaiting trial. The federal court system and other states have implemented
some of these practices and developed better pretrial systems.
longer time, than those
who are free There is a growing national movement to reduce the costly use of pretrial
detention and of overcrowding in jails, and to design new systems for
people prior to trial. It is time to reform pretrial and bail practices
in Washington. Doing so will increase the fairness, integrity, and
effectiveness of our criminal justice system.
2
What Is Money Bail and How Does It Work?
After someone is arrested, he or she appears in court, where a judge decides
whether to release the person before trial and under what conditions,
if any. The judge may release an accused solely on a promise to appear,
release the individual under certain conditions that are tailored to ensure a
person returns to court, or impose a requirement that the person pay some
amount of bail – an amount of money deposited with the court intended
to guarantee that the person returns for future court hearings.
When the court imposes bail, it is usually in the form of cash or surety.
Cash bail is paid to the court and returned to the accused after he or she
reappears for all hearings and the case is over. A court may accept cash
bail either as an “unsecured bond” that is simply a promise to pay the
cash payment if the accused fails to appear for a court hearing, or as an
“appearance bond” where the court accepts cash payment of up to 10
percent of the bail amount.
Most accused persons cannot afford the amount of cash bail on their
own, so the court may authorize different forms of payment, such as a
“surety bond.” A surety bond is a promissory note from a bail bondsman
to the court for the entire bond amount. Given current practices, a surety
bond is the most common, and most unfair, way used to pay bail.
3
Why Our Bail System Is Unfair
Jails are increasingly filled by people who have not been convicted
of a crime. Ninety-five percent of the growth in the U.S. jail inmate
population since 2000 was due to the increase in the number of people
being held before trial.6 In Washington, often these jailed persons are
facing low-level misdemeanors. They are routinely held because bail is set
Jails are increasingly at an amount they cannot afford to pay.
filled by people
Under our state’s current court rule which presumes the release of the
who have not been defendant, bail is supposed to be imposed as the last resort.7 For some
convicted of a crime judges however, bail has become the first and only option. The rise in
pretrial detention is often a result of judges not following the court rule.
The bail amounts for most criminal cases - and the amounts required
by a bail bondsman - are out of reach for much of the population. In
a sample Washington county, bail amounts averaged in 2014 between
$5,000 and $50,000 depending on the offense.9 The amount of bail
imposed can vary by county and court. In a recent study, 47 percent
of respondents said they either could not cover an emergency expense
costing $400, or would cover it by selling something or borrowing
money.10 Bail is just the sort of emergency expense that most
Americans cannot afford. So, under current bail rates and practices,
most Americans are vulnerable to being kept locked up before trial if
they should ever face criminal charges.
B. POOR PEOPLE OFTEN LACK A LAWYER AT THEIR FIRST
In many city COURT APPEARANCE
and county Representation by an attorney is vital to ensuring fairness for people
accused of crimes. This is especially true in bail hearings. The decision
courts throughout
to release or jail the accused before trial is one of the most critical
Washington, a judge decisions a judge makes, as it can decisively influence the course a
sets bail before person’s case will take.
the defendant is A judge typically makes the decision to release or jail the accused
appointed a lawyer on bail at the first court hearing. At this point, the court has limited
information about the defendant. A defense attorney who has had
time to talk to the accused person and contact family members,
employers, or other supporters can provide the judge with the
information needed to justify releasing the person or to set reasonable
conditions that ensure appearance at future hearings.
There are better ways to increase court appearance rates. For example,
several courts have implemented automated court hearing robocall
systems to remind people of their upcoming court dates.14 Instead of
imposing unaffordable money bail, reforms such as this can reduce
disparities and more equitably ensure return to court.
Those who await trial behind bars cannot show they have improved.
Only people not jailed on bail have an opportunity to complete out-
patient treatment, employment, and educational programs that can
signal they are deserving of a lesser sentence.
People jailed awaiting trial cannot work or earn income and even
a brief absence from work may cause them to lose their jobs. If
the period of detention is lengthy, their future earning potential
is also undermined. Those who are self-employed are at risk
of bankruptcy. Indeed, the stigma of jail, combined with lost
education or training opportunities, may severely limit lifetime
income potential.
2. Loss of housing
Pretrial detention can jeopardize a person’s housing. He or she may
miss a rent or mortgage payment, resulting in late fees or eviction.
Homelessness can result. Those who are already homeless may lose
their space in a shelter or a place in line for permanent housing if
they are not available to claim it.
7
3. Loss of education
Many people jailed before trial are young adults, some of whom
will have their education interrupted as a result of their detention.
Others may have their job training interrupted, making it harder
to find a job upon release. Even the education and training
opportunities available for those in prison are rarely found in local
jails where accused individuals are detained before trial.
Once booked at a jail, people who have diagnosed mental illnesses are
often forced to wait days or even weeks before they are provided their
prescribed medication.19 This can cause mental health to significantly
deteriorate. People with mental illness who are not yet diagnosed
8
are unlikely to have their illness diagnosed or treated during pretrial
detention, as county jails do not provide such services.20 County jails
also lack the conditions most likely to contribute to improved mental
health — namely, an atmosphere of protection from violence, access
to educational and physical activity, and specialized care and support.
In the United States, the suicide rate among those detained pretrial can
be 9 to 14 times higher than that in the general population.21 People The suicide rate among
detained before trial commit about three-quarters of the suicides that those detained pretrial
occur behind bars.22 The suicide risk is highest during the first seven can be 9 to 14 times
days of incarceration, when people are experiencing what corrections
experts call the “shock of confinement.”23 higher than that in the
general population
F. IT’S TIME TO IMPROVE WASHINGTON’S BAIL SYSTEM
To fulfill the guarantee that every person accused of a crime is
presumed innocent and to ensure fairness, our pretrial system must
make good on the presumption of release for every person, regardless
of their financial resources. Determining who is jailed before trial
should never be based on money.
9
“As we speak, close to three quarters of a million people reside in
America’s jail system . . . Across the country, nearly two thirds of all
inmates who crowd our county jails — at an annual cost of roughly nine billion
taxpayer dollars — are defendants awaiting trial. . . . Many of these individuals
are nonviolent, non-felony offenders, charged with crimes ranging from petty
theft to public drug use. And a disproportionate number of them are poor.
They are forced to remain in custody . . . because they simply cannot afford
to post the bail required[.]”
“. . . Through most of the United States today the bail system is a cruel
and illogical institution which perpetuates injustice in the name of
the law. In actual practice, control is frequently in the hands of bondsmen
rather than the courts. The system is subject to widespread abuse.
It involves the wholesale restriction of freedom, impairment of
the defendant’s chances at trial and millions in needless detention
costs at all levels of government. . . . I am hopeful that with your leadership,
and that of others like you throughout the nation we can move ahead
without delay. Until we have improved the administration of justice, until our
laws bear evenly on all, rich and poor alike, we cannot be satisfied that we
have achieved the American dream.”
10
1
Kip Hill, “Spokane County Jail receives an additional $1.75 million from MacArthur Foundation to reduce overcrowding,”
The Spokesman Review, April 13, 2016, available at http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/apr/13/spokane-county-jail-
receives-an-additional-175-mil/. See also Spokane County 2016 Safety and Justice Challenge Fact Sheet, available at http://www.
safetyandjusticechallenge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Spokane-County-Safety-Justice-Challenge-Fact-Sheet.pdf. In King County
jails, in the first 6 months of 2016, pre-sentenced felons comprised 61.4 percent of the average daily population and pre-sentenced
misdemeanants comprised 12.2 percent of average daily population, available at http://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/courts/detention/
documents/KC_DAR_Scorecard_Highlights_07_2016.ashx?la=en.
2
Todd D. Minton and Zhen Zeng, “Jail Inmates at Midyear 2014,” U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (June 2015), p.4,
available at http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/jim14.pdf.
3
Melissa Neal, “Bail Fail: Why the U.S Should End the Practice of Money Bail,” Justice Policy Institute (2012), p.10, available at http://
www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/documents/bailfail.pdf.
4
Christopher T. Lowenkamp, Marie VanNostrand, and Alexander Holsinger, “Investigating the Impact of Pretrial Detention on Sentencing
Outcomes,” The Arnold Foundation (November 2013), available at http://static.prisonpolicy.org/scans/ljaf/LJAF_Report_state-sentencing_
FNL.pdf.
5
Justice Policy Institute, “For Better Or For Profit,” (2012), p.26, available at http://www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/
documents/_for_better_or_for_profit_.pdf.
6
Minton, see note 2 above.
7
Washington State CrR 3.2 and CrRLJ 3.2, available at http://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/.
8
Ram Subramanian, Ruth Delaney, Stephen Roberts, Nancy Fishman, and Peggy McGarry, “Incarceration’s Front Door: The Misuse
of Jails in America,” Vera Institute of Justice (2015), p.29, available at http://archive.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/
incarcerations-front-door-report_02.pdf.
9
Yakima County Pretrial System Implementation Plan, Yakima County Pretrial Policy Team, “Yakima County Pretrial System
Implementation Plan,” (November 2015), p.33, available at http://www.whatcomcounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/17896.
10
The Federal Reserve Board of Governors, “Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2014,” (May 2015), p.18,
available at https://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/2014-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201505.pdf.
11
Jacqueline Van Wormer, “Creating and Effecting Local Criminal Justice Reform,” presentation to Washington State Supreme Court
(May 2016). See also Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System, “Preliminary Report on Race and Washington’s Criminal Justice
System,” (2011), p.39, available at http://law.seattleu.edu/Documents/korematsu/race%20and%20criminal%20justice/preliminary%20
report_report_march_1_2011_public_cover.pdf. See generally Cynthia Jones, “Give Us Free: Addressing Racial Disparities in Bail
Determinations,” New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy (2014), available at http://www.nyujlpp.org/wp-content/
uploads/2014/01/Jones-Give-Us-Free-16nyujlpp919.pdf.
12
Jones, see note 11 above at p.938.
13
Disability Rights Washington, “County Jails, Statewide Problem: A Look at How Our Friends, Family and Neighbors with Disabilities
are Treated in Washington’s Jails,” (April 2016), p.6, available at http://www.disabilityrightswa.org/sites/default/files/uploads/County%20
Jails%20Statewide%20Problems.pdf.
14
Legal Design Lab, “The Court Messaging Project,” available at http://www.legaltechdesign.com/CourtMessagingProject/background/.
15
Arpit Gupta, Christopher Hansman, and Ethan Frenchman, “The Heavy Costs of High Bail: Evidence from Judge Randomization,”
Columbia Law and Economics Working Paper No. 531 (May 2016), p.15, available at http://www.columbia.edu/~cjh2182/
GuptaHansmanFrenchman.pdf. See also Paul Heaton, Sandra Mayson, and Megan Stevenson, “The Downstream Consequences of
Misdemeanor Pretrial Detention,” (July 2016), p.19, available at https://www.law.upenn.edu/live/files/5693-harriscountybail.
16
Megan Stevenson, “Distortion of Justice: How the Inability to Pay Bail Affects Case Outcomes,” (May 2016), p.3, available at https://
www.law.upenn.edu/cf/faculty/mstevens/workingpapers/Distortion-of-Justice-April-2016.pdf.
17
Social Security Administration, “What Prisoners Need to Know,” SSA Publication No. 05-10133 ICN 468767 (June 2015), p.3,
available at https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10133.pdf.
18
Chris Koyanagi, “A Guide to the Federal Rules on SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare and Veterans Benefits for Adults with Disabilities,”
Bazelon Center for Mental Health (August 2006), p.4, available at http://www.kitsapgov.com/pubdef/Forms/LinkClick.Benefits.pdf.
19
Disability Rights Washington, see note 13 above at p.13.
20
Id. at 11.
21
Tonia L. Nicholls, Zina Lee, Raymond R. Corrado, and James R. P. Ogloff, “Women Inmates’ Mental Health Needs: Evidence of the
Validity of the Jail Sentencing Screening Tool (JSAT),” International Journal of Forensic Mental Health 3, No. 2 (2004), p.168, available at
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254392619_Women_Inmates'_Mental_Health_Needs_Evidence_of_the_Validity_of_the_Jail_
Screening_Assessment_Tool_JSAT.
22
Margaret Noonan, Harley Rohloff, and Scott Ginder, “Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons 2000-2013,” U.S. Dept. of Justice,
Bureau of Justice Statistics (2015), p.9, available at http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mljsp0013st.pdf.
23
Id. at 10. See also Martin Kaste, “The Shock of Confinement: The Grim Reality of Suicide in Jail,” NPR, July 27, 2015, available at
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/27/426742309/the-shock-of-confinement-the-grim-reality-of-suicide-in-jail.
11
WWW.ACLU-WA.ORG