Marc Levin went live to discuss pretrial justice. He revealed that the U.S. spends $13.6 billion on pretrial incarceration. Levin said a common reason that some people are locked up pretrial is simply because they can’t afford to get out. This can be due to something as minor as an unpaid traffic ticket or inability to afford a couple-hundred dollar bond for a misdemeanor charge. As a supplement to money bail, Levin recommends that judges use actuarial risk assessments to help divert low risk offenders away from pretrial incarceration. Risk assessments are more accurate at determining risk that the size of someone’s pocket book.
By reserving pretrial incarceration for those that prove to be of high risk, we can deliver better results – at lower costs – to taxpayers.
Watch the video here:
