Right on Crime views pretrial reform as an opportunity to improve public safety, provide courts with additional tools to inform pretrial release determinations, and save taxpayer dollars. Kentucky communities absorb a significant financial and human toll when low-risk, nonviolent defendants are detained pending the resolution of their case simply because they cannot afford to pay bail.

Key points:

  • Kentucky holds too many nonviolent, low-risk offenders in county jails prior to their trials, often due to their inability to pay their money bail.
  • Legislators need to consider cost-saving reforms that will decrease this pretrial population without jeopardizing public safety.
  • Any proposals should include solutions for those with substance abuse issues, who make up the bulk of nonviolent, low-risk offenders in pretrial detention.

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