‘Zero-Dollar Bail’ Has No Negative Effects on Rearrest

According to a recent study released by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, zero-dollar cash bail has had no negative effect on clients’ ability to follow through with their court requirements — like appearing in court, Knock LA, a nonprofit journalism project, reports.

Since the policy was enacted in June of 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, court appearance rates and rearrest rates have remained steady or dropped since zero-bail policies have been put in place. The trend has only continued. Misdemeanor rearrest rates for the first three months of 2021 shared a similar downward trend (1 percent vs 2 percent), while felony rates during the same time frame remained steady with historical averages at 3 percent.

Not everyone has celebrated this new data. Several law enforcement officers and advocates with the Human Rights Watch cite anecdotal reasons that a zero-bail policy harms public safety, but according to the Board of Supervisors’ research, there’s no “materialized” evidence.”

While some say it’s still too early for definitive answers based on the study’s numbers, the researchers are confident in noting that if the trend continues, Los Angeles can viably argue that cash bail holds no tangible benefit to public safety, and move towards making the practice obsolete.