Failing to make it to a court appearance – routine for attorneys and witnesses – leads to 19 million additional nights in jail each year for people accused of crimes.
January 8: Briefings
Assessing the Housing Needs of People Nearing Release from Illinois Prisons by Loyola Chicago Center for Criminal Justice
December 31: Research Library: Reentry and recidivism
And some commentary and editorial writing, too.
December 22: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
Our report exposes how commercial bail companies and their deep-pocketed insurance underwriters almost always avoid accountability when they fail to do their one job: ensure their clients’ appearance in court. The report explains how the bail industry exploits — and works to expand — six loopholes in the system that allow it to avoid paying up when defendants don’t show up. The money bail system is not only cruel to defendants (as our 2016 report Detaining the Poor showed); as our report shows, it is also corrupt beyond repair.
Learn about the national prison crisis and how we can begin to turn the tide on mass incarceration. Then, drill down to your state. Be sure to also check out our pages focused on D.C., and the incarceration of Native people.
If our work is new to you, you might want to check out our 2024-2025 annual report.