According to the WBAL 11 News I-Team, Baltimore has seen an increase in the number of inmates jailed pre-trial after bail reform was put into effect. Reporting indicates that there was a significant increase (from 655 in March 2017 to 856 in March 2018) in the average number of arrestees held each day. Judges are holding defendants without bail pre-trial. Judges fear that they will be held responsible for crimes committed by defendants released without bail, so they have been more inclined to keep inmates incarcerated. Without proper monitoring or an effective pretrial release system, judges fear for the safety of the public-at-large and err on the side of caution.
Bail reform went into effect on July 1, 2017 in Maryland. The intent of the reformation was to keep inmates from being held prior to conviction simply because they could not afford to post bail. The reality is that more inmates are currently being incarcerated without the option of pretrial release due to a lack of monitoring and pretrial services. Judges fear that improper monitoring could result in additional crimes being committed by defendants. Bail reform efforts across the country have met with common concerns, lack of planning and lack of financing.
