People charged with crimes in California who were released under the state’s emergency “zero bail” policy enacted amid the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to reoffend than those who were released after posting bail, a new study has found.
The study (pdf), conducted by the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office in California, compared a random sample of 100 of the 595 people who were released under the emergency bail policy in Yolo County between April 19, 2020, and May 31, 2021, to a random sample of 100 of the 147 people who posted bail between Jan. 1, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2019.
