From "Bail Stories," co-produced by the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice and the Vera Institute of Justice.
A look at how bail, fines, and fees in the criminal justice system impact poor communities in New Orleans
The New Orleans criminal justice system, like many other local systems across the country, operates significantly on funding generated from the people cycling through it—from bail and associated fees before trial, to fines and fees levied after conviction. These practices come with hidden costs to defendants—the majority of whom are poor and black— ...
official court transcripts October 1961-June 1962
The Manhattan Bail Project was Vera’s first initiative and showed that many people accused of committing a crime can be relied on to appear in court and do not have to post bail or be held until trial. Read the transcripts from arraignment hearings at which New York City judges considered the recommendations Vera made in the early days of the Manh ...
New York’s recent bail reform law, which was passed in April 2019 and amended on July 2, 2020, was expected to reduce the footprint of jail incarceration by limiting the use of money bail. The new law mandated pretrial release for the vast majority of nonviolent charges and required that judges consider a person’s ability to pay bail. A comprehens ...