Preliminary Bail Data

Just City Data Demonstrates Bail Amounts Have Increased for Violent Offenses and Decreased for Non-Violent Offenses Since Reform Implementation

Just City released data today, which highlights some initial effects of reforms to the bail system that were implemented in Shelby County earlier this year. The data feature notable changes in average bond amounts, indicating that bond amounts for those charged with violent crimes have increased and bond amounts for those charged with non-violent crimes has decreased since implementation of bail system reform began in February 2023.

This data was gathered and produced as part of Just City’s Public Data Accountability Project, launched in response to the police killing of Tyre Nichols. This information was originally provided to District Attorney Steve Mulroy at his request, as part of the cooperation offered to government leaders to encourage systemic transparency. 

According to the data analyzed by Just City, average bond amounts for people charged with violent offenses have risen from $84,385 to $92,182 since the implementation of reforms on February 17, 2023. This is likely evidence of heightened consideration for public safety by judges and judicial commissioners when setting bail for people accused of violent offenses. 

The data also reveals a positive trend for low-level, non-violent offenses. The average bond amount for a person accused of such offenses prior to February 17, 2023 was $12,128. However, since the implementation of the bail reforms, the average bond amount for non-violent offenses has decreased significantly to $10,575. This adjustment reflects a more equitable approach, reserving pretrial detention resources for people accused of more serious, violent offenses and giving others a chance to continue their employment and remain with their families, regardless of financial ability.

"This data provides concrete evidence that bail reforms can yield tangible improvements to our legal system that contribute to public safety and provide a better opportunity for those accused of crime to secure their release. We are creating a fairer system that respects the presumption of innocence and ensures the safety of our community. We are grateful to Ryan Carroll, Just City’s Data Scientist, for his significant contributions to our Public Data Accountability Project and for his tireless work gathering and sharing this data,” said Josh Spickler, Executive Director of Just City.

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Our original report about average bail amounts cited incorrect numbers. We miscalculated the amount for people booked on the same case multiple times, counting their first bond amount more than once instead of averaging their subsequent bond amounts. We apologize for the error.

However, the trends remain clear: average bail amounts for those accused of violent offenses have increased and bail amounts for non-violent offenses have decreased since the mid-February implementation of changes to the bail system. The numbers and graphs shown above have been updated with the correct figures.

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media@justcity.org