L.A. County’s ‘zero bail’ policy hasn’t impacted crime rates: report

Changes to Los Angeles County's bail system have had no impact on crime rates, according to a new study from the California Policy Lab .

In October, the county got rid of cash bail for all but the most serious crimes. Study co-author Johanna Lacoe told KNX News that, contrary to some people’s fears , the crime rate didn’t go up in the two months after the policy went into effect.

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“The Los Angeles Superior Court reports that 60% of bookings in Los Angeles County are for offenses that would qualify for this new policy, as opposed to traditional cash bail, so you get a sense of the scale of the policy change,” she said. “And still in the short run, right, two months after implementation, we don’t see any change in overall crime.”

While overall crime reports and arrest trends didn’t change, the study found that arrests for misdemeanor offenses declined, and the average daily jail population decreased.

“Reforms that reduced the pre-trial jail population were achieved without big changes in overall crime, at least in the two months following the policy changes, so I think it’s a hopeful story,” Lacoe said.

An October report by the L.A. County Superior Court found that in the first three weeks, the new bail system was “actually keeping communities safer.”

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