The Limits of Bail Reform: A Quasi-Experimental Analysis

This study of bail reform in a large urban court employs an interrupted time-series research design spanning a six-year period, and examines case data for over 38,000 defendants. Two reforms-creation of a pretrial release agency and adoption of deposit bail-are evaluated to determine whether they ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Law & society review 1980-07, Vol.14 (4), p.947-976
Main Authors: Flemming, Roy B., Kohfeld, C. W., Uhlman, Thomas M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bail
Bail bonds
Bail/Bailbond/Bailbondsman/ Bailbondsmen
Criminal offenses
Defendants
Felony offenses
Pretrial release
Pretrial services
Property crimes
Reform/Reformed/Reformer/ Reformers/ Reformism/ Reformist/ Reformists/ Reforms
Statistical significance
Surety
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Summary:This study of bail reform in a large urban court employs an interrupted time-series research design spanning a six-year period, and examines case data for over 38,000 defendants. Two reforms-creation of a pretrial release agency and adoption of deposit bail-are evaluated to determine whether they had statistically significant impacts on the likelihood of pretrial release, the probability of financial losses for defendants, and the avoidance of bondsmen in the pretrial process. Weighted regression analysis was used to compensate for the possibility of autocorrelation in the time-series data. The reforms proved a mixed success. Explanations for these findings emphasize the role of previous policy patterns and procedural rules in restraining the scope of bail reform and the political forces encouraging the use of bail for preventive detention.
ISSN:0023-9216
1540-5893
DOI:10.2307/3053216