The Problem
450,000
people are held in pretrial detention every day across the U.S.
60%
of all local jail inmates are legally innocent pretrial detainees
92% vs. 50%
92% nationwide guilty disposition rate for defendants held on bail vs. 50% nationwide guilty disposition rate for defendants who post bail.
$1,000
the median bail amount among pretrial detainees in Richmond, VA
$9.1 billion
the yearly cost to all U.S. counties for holding pretrial detainees in county jails. That’s 100% tax payer money.
35%
of people in jail are Black Americans (Black Americans are 12.3% of the U.S. population)
5x
Black defendants are placed in pretrial detention at a rate five times that of white defendants
18-29
Black Americans ages 18 through 29 are more likely to be given cash bail than all other racial groups for comparable offenses, and receive higher bail amounts