Date

9-17-2026

Department

Helms School of Government

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (PhD)

Chair

Paul Onyemekeihia

Keywords

No-Cash Bail, Pretrial Detention, Bail Reform, Incarceration Without Conviction, Bail Policy Strength, Bail Inequality

Disciplines

Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

This quantitative study assessed the impact of no-cash bail reforms on local jail populations in various U.S. states. The no-cash bail policies, also known as "cashless bail," are criminal justice reforms that reduce or eliminate the need for defendants to pay money to secure release from jail while awaiting trial. The goal is to base pretrial detention on safety risks, not financial status. These systems use non-monetary conditions to ensure court appearances instead of wealth-based detention. This study aimed to address a critical gap in scholarly understanding of statewide implementation policies carried out at the local level. The data were drawn from the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Annual Survey of Jails for 2002 to 2022. The data cover over 945 local jail jurisdictions across 44 states and the District of Columbia. The study used a heterogeneous Difference-in-Differences (DiD) design and analyzed the data in Stata-18, including a Placebo Test, to uncover heterogeneous effects on jail populations. This design allowed comparison of pretrial detention rates across jurisdictions that adopted no-cash bail policy reforms with those that still use a traditional cash bail system. The Stata-18 statistical environment enables a fully reproducible, code-based workflow and helps uphold scientific standards. The study focused on isolating the independent effects of no-cash bail while controlling for confounding policies such as ability-to-pay, release on recognizance (ROR), and the expansion of pretrial services. Central to this study is a seven-tier offense strength classification system. This system is designed to evaluate the policy strength of bail reforms based on an offense hierarchy. Through this multilevel framework, the research measures the impact of no-cash bail on the local jail population. The study adds to the empirical evidence needed to shape policies that uphold fairness, due process, and equity in the American criminal justice system.

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