The decree ends a protective policy commonly used in Democratic jurisdictions to release prisoners
In the United States, Illinois—a state that has been a Democratic stronghold for decades—became the first jurisdiction to allow those accused of a crime to leave jail while awaiting trial without paying any kind of cash bail. The new policy went into effect in September 2023.
The White House has cited a study conducted in 2023 by law enforcement in a California county that determined the "zero bail" policy led to a 163% increase in crime in that jurisdiction.
Statistics show that people who were released without paying bail were rearrested 163% more than the group that paid bail. In addition, these criminals reoffended at an average rate 70% higher than those who paid bail.
The average recidivism rate for those released without bail was 78% over 18 months, while for those who paid bail it was 46%. People released without paying bail reoffended by committing serious crimes 90% more often than those who did pay.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that ends the granting of cashless bail, something known in the United States as cashless bail. The government also threatened to withdraw federal funds from jurisdictions that do not comply with the measure.
"Cashless bail policies allow dangerous individuals to immediately return to the streets and put law-abiding, hardworking citizens at risk because they know our laws are not enforced," the decree prepared by the White House states.
Last month, on the social network Truth Social, the president had already criticized this judicial policy typical of criminal advocates. "Crime in American cities began to rise significantly when CASHLESS BAIL was implemented," he asserted.
"The worst criminals are flooding our streets and endangering even our great law enforcement officers. It's a total disaster and must end IMMEDIATELY!" Trump added, maintaining that every place in the country where cash bail doesn't exist is a disaster.
