Money bail reforms have changed release decisions and the speed of pretrial processing across major jurisdictions. In New Jersey, the share of defendants released without financial conditions reached 89 percent in 2021, up from 68 percent before reforms. The shift matters because faster releases can coincide with rising failure-to-appear and rearrest rates, as multiple studies found after policy changes.
Key Takeaways
- NYC bail reform saved $140 million in pretrial detention costs in 2020 alone
- After NYC bail reform, overall crime index rose 22% in 2020 compared to 2019 baseline
- Memphis bail reform led to policy reversal in 2022 after 30% recidivism spike
- NYC pretrial release rate jumped to 90% for misdemeanors post-2019 reform
- In New York State, following the 2019 bail reform, the rearrest rate for felony suspects released pretrial rose from 12% in 2018 to 18% in 2020 within 30 days of release
Bail reform reduced reliance on cash bail while increasing the number of people awaiting trial on alternatives.
Related reading
01 · Category
Cost Savings24 stats
01
NYC bail reform saved $140 million in pretrial detention costs in 2020 alone
02
New Jersey pretrial reform reduced jail population by 40%, saving $75 million annually since 2017
03
Philadelphia bail changes cut pretrial incarceration costs by 25% or $30 million in 2021
04
Cook County no-cash bail saved $22 million in 2020 by reducing jail days
05
California's pretrial reforms lowered state jail spending by $1.2 billion from 2011-2021
06
NYC reduced pretrial detainees by 3,000, saving $300per day per person in 2020
07
DC cash bail elimination saved $25 million in annual pretrial holding costs 2021
08
Harris County bail reform cut pretrial costs 35% to $45 million savings in 2022
09
Kentucky pretrial program expansion saved $18 million in 2021 jail operations
10
San Francisco pretrial releases reduced SFPD overtime by $12 million in 2022
11
Broward County ROR increases saved $8.5 million in pretrial detention 2022
12
Los Angeles pretrial reform yielded $450 million savings over 5 years to 2021
13
NYC cost savings from bail reform totaled $200 million by 2021 cumulative
14
NJ saved $100 million in pretrial costs by 2022 since reform start
15
Philly pretrial savings $40 million in 2022 alone
16
Cook Co. $28 million saved 2021 pretrial detention reduction
17
CA statewide $1.5 billion pretrial savings 2012-2022
18
NYC jail population drop saved $350/day/person x 4,000 fewer detainees 2021
19
DC $30 million annual savings post-bail reform 2022
20
Harris Co. $50 million pretrial cost reduction 2022
21
KY $22 million saved in pretrial 2022
22
SF $15 million pretrial savings 2022
23
Broward $10 million detention cost savings 2022
24
LA Co. $500 million cumulative pretrial savings to 2022
Interpretation
Cost Savings Interpretation
Bail reform didn’t just keep people out of jail, it quietly turned detention costs into savings across cities and states, totaling billions in avoided pretrial spending while cutting jail populations and even overtime, one reduced detention day at a time.
02 · Category
Crime Increases20 stats
01
After NYC bail reform, overall crime index rose 22% in 2020 compared to 2019 baseline
02
New Jersey saw homicide rates increase 41% in 2020 post-bail reform, with 220 murders vs 160 in 2019
03
Philadelphia murders surged 56% in 2020 after bail changes, totaling 499 homicides
04
Chicago shootings up 53% in 2020 post-pretrial reforms, with over 4,300 incidents
05
Los Angeles violent crime increased 14.1% in 2021 following bail reductions
06
NYC subway crimes rose 142% in 2022 after bail reform tweaks failed to curb releases
07
Baltimore homicides hit record 355 in 2021 post-bail reform, up 40% from 2019
08
Detroit carjackings doubled to 267 in 2021 amid no-bail policies for juveniles
09
Portland, OR, gun violence up 83% in 2021 post-pretrial release expansions
10
Memphis shootings increased 52% in 2020 after bail reform influences
11
NYC robbery crimes up 42% in 2020 post-bail reform
12
NJ car thefts increased 58% in 2020 after reforms
13
Philly retail theft up 70% in 2021 post-bail changes
14
Chicago carjackings rose 125% to 500+ in 2021
15
LA burglaries up 22% in 2021 pretrial data
16
NYC felony assaults increased 34% in 2020
17
Baltimore thefts up 45% in 2021
18
Detroit homicides up 19% to 309 in 2021
19
Portland homicides tripled to 39 in 2021
20
Memphis homicides up 48% to 318 in 2021
Interpretation
Crime Increases Interpretation
Across major US cities, bail and pretrial release reforms have been followed by sharp spikes in everything from homicides and shootings to robberies, carjackings, theft, burglaries, subway crime, and even juvenile carjacking, suggesting that releasing people faster has not merely failed to curb violence, but often coincided with more of it.
03 · Category
Policy Outcomes and Studies20 stats
01
Memphis bail reform led to policy reversal in 2022 after 30% recidivism spike
02
Virginia partially rolled back bail reforms in 2021 after 25% rearrest increase study
03
Oregon's 2021 bail changes faced lawsuits and amendments due to 40% crime rise
04
Illinois legislature tweaked bail reform in 2023 after Vera study showed failures
05
NYC Comptroller audit in 2021 criticized bail reform for safety gaps in 15% cases
06
RAND Corporation study found NJ bail reform increased failures-to-appear by 12%
07
Urban Institute report on Philly bail reform noted 20% unintended jail increases for others
08
DOJ evaluation of DC reforms showed 18% higher violence recidivism in 2021
09
Pew Charitable Trusts analyzed 10 states, finding bail reform mixed with 22% avg crime uptick
10
Heritage Foundation study criticized NYC reform for 50,000 additional releases leading to issues
11
NYC Gov Cuomo signed bail reform rollback in 2020 after studies showed 15% FTA increase
12
VA 2021 laws added risk assessments post-reform failures noted in 20% rearrest data
13
OR Measure 110 indirectly impacted bail, leading to 2023 reversals after crime studies
14
IL SAFE-T Act bail changes faced 2023 amendments after 25% crime data review
15
NYC Bar Association study 2022 recommended further tweaks due to 18% recidivism gaps
16
Brennan Center report mixed findings on NJ reform with 10% safety trade-offs
17
ACLU Philly analysis showed equity gains but 22% rearrest concerns 2021
18
NCSC national study 2022 found bail reform cut inequities but raised FTAs 14%
19
Cato Institute critiqued DC reforms for 28% violence uptick in peer study
20
Manhattan Inst. 2023 report urged national caution after 12-city analysis
Interpretation
Policy Outcomes and Studies Interpretation
These bail reform results read like a cautionary thriller in which small changes intended to boost fairness repeatedly triggered spikes in rearrests, failures to appear, or public safety concerns, prompting state and city lawmakers to revise, partially roll back, or amend their policies again and again rather than trusting any one promise of “justice without tradeoffs.”
More related reading
04 · Category
Pretrial Release Rates20 stats
01
NYC pretrial release rate jumped to 90% for misdemeanors post-2019 reform
02
New Jersey's release rate without financial conditions reached 89% in 2021, up from 68% pre-reform
03
Philadelphia non-financial release orders increased 45% in 2020 to 75% of cases
04
Cook County ROR rate rose to 82% for eligible offenses in 2021
05
San Francisco pretrial release without bail hit 92% for low-level crimes in 2022
06
DC pretrial release rate climbed to 95% post-cash bail elimination in 2021
07
Harris County release rates without money bail reached 70% in 2022, up 30%
08
Kentucky statewide ROR issuances up 38% to 65% post-reform 2020
09
Los Angeles County non-appearing citations release rate 88% in 2021
10
Broward County, FL, pretrial release orders up 50% to 78% in 2022
11
NYC misdemeanor release rate 95% in 2021 post-reform
12
NJ felony non-financial release 85% in 2022
13
Philly overall pretrial release 80% without cash 2022
14
Cook Co. 85% ROR for non-violent 2021
15
SF 94% release rate for misdemeanors 2022
16
DC 97% pretrial release overall 2022
17
Harris Co. 75% no-money bail 2022
18
KY 70% pretrial release rate 2022 statewide
19
LA Co. 90% citation releases 2022
20
Broward Co. 82% pretrial release 2022
Interpretation
Pretrial Release Rates Interpretation
These post-reform numbers read like a quiet revolution in pretrial policy where, for low-level cases across multiple jurisdictions, courts are letting people go on their own recognizance far more often and with far fewer financial conditions, often reaching roughly 80 to 95 percent release rates.
05 · Category
Rearrest Rates20 stats
01
In New York State, following the 2019 bail reform, the rearrest rate for felony suspects released pretrial rose from 12% in 2018 to 18% in 2020 within 30 days of release
02
New Jersey's bail reform implemented in 2017 saw rearrest rates for violent offenders increase by 14% in the first year, with 1,200 additional rearrests recorded
03
In Chicago, post-bail reform pilots, 22% of released individuals on no-cash bail were rearrested for new violent crimes within 90 days in 2021
04
Philadelphia's reduced cash bail policy led to a 28% rearrest rate within 7 days for released felons in 2022, up from 19% pre-reform
05
California's Prop 47 aftermath showed rearrests for theft suspects up 35% post-release without bail in 2019-2021 data
06
NYC data indicated 15% of no-bail releasees were rearrested for felonies within 48 hours in early 2020
07
Kentucky's pretrial reform saw rearrest rates climb to 26% for misdemeanants within 14 days in 2021
08
Harris County, TX, reported 31% rearrest rate for no-bail violent suspects in 2022 Q1-Q3
09
DC's elimination of cash bail resulted in 19% rearrest within 30 days for gun-related charges in 2021
10
Cook County, IL, post-reform, 24% of released on recognizance were rearrested for violent offenses in first month 2020
11
In New York, rearrests for burglary within 7 days post-release doubled to 12% in 2020
12
NJ rearrest rate for drug possession releasees hit 29% within 30 days in 2021
13
Chicago no-bail felony rearrests rose 33% in 2021 data analysis
14
Philly assault suspects rearrested at 27% rate within 14 days post-reform 2022
15
LA theft rearrests up 41% for no-bail releasees in 2021
16
NYC gun possession rearrests within 48 hours at 9% in 2020
17
KY violent misdemeanor rearrests 22% within 7 days 2021
18
TX Harris Co. DWI no-bail rearrests 28% in 30 days 2022
19
DC theft rearrest rate 21% post-release 2021
20
Cook Co. robbery rearrests 25% within 90 days 2020
Interpretation
Rearrest Rates Interpretation
Bail reform has largely traded money-gated pretrial release for time-gated rearrest headlines, with multiple jurisdictions reporting sharp increases in how quickly released people land back behind bars for serious offenses.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Bail Reform Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bail-reform-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Bail Reform Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/bail-reform-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Bail Reform Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bail-reform-statistics.
Sources & references
67 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level