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Bail Reform by the Numbers- (Spoiler Alert- The Numbers are Bad!)


Reform:  The Failed Social Experiment

Has bail reform been successful?  Let's look at the numbers:

Harris County:

2018 

The implementation of bail reform started well before the settlement actually occurred and in 2019 we started to see the harmful effects. Property crime was up 7% in Houston and violent crime was up nearly 3% and trending in the wrong direction towards the end of year. It pains me to inform you that in 2020, crime is increasing at an alarming rate in Houston. As of the first week in March, property crime is already up 17% this year over last.

2019

  • Burglary of a Motor Vehicle is up over 30%
  • Burglary is up 12%
  • Theft is up 10%
  • Auto Theft is up 25%
  • Murders are up 23%
  • Robberies are up 21%
  • Aggravated Assault is up 26%
  • Kidnapping up 68%

New York:

New York State recently embarked, through legislation, on a similar experiment of bail reform.  The crime data for New York City is downright frightening. T

  • Overall crime up a staggering 30% in January 2020 over the same time period in 2019.
  • Overall crime up 20% in February 2020 over the same time period in 2019. 

Cook County (Chicago)

In Cook County (Chicago), Illinois a recent study conducted by the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, found that after bail reform was introduced the number of defendants charged with new crimes spiked by 45%. The authors wrote, “more concerning the number of pretrial releases charged with committing new violent crimes increased by an estimated 33%.”

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