What Is the Manhatten Bail Project?

Jail

The Manhattan Bail project was an initiative begun by the VERA Institute of Justice in 1961. The Vera Institute of Justice explains that the Manhattan Bail Project was an experimental program begun in New York that attempted to make the pretrial system of bail-setting fair for all defendants in the U.S. without prejudice because of their financial situations.

History

According to the Pretrial Justice Institute, the VERA Institute of Justice was created by philanthropist Louis Schweitzer and magazine editor Herb Sturz. The two men were inspired by President John F. Kennedy's war on poverty campaign to research and find a way to stop the injustice of the U.S. justice system's pretrial bail system. The Pretrial Justice Institute explains that the injustice of the bail system was well known throughout the U.S. Poorer members of society were unable to meet bail conditions, leading to overcrowding and rioting in jails, particularly in New York.

Problems

The VERA Institute of Justice reports that research conducted by the Institute prior to 1961 showed defendants who could not meet bail conditions were often spending long periods of time in jail for minor offenses. The problems uncovered in this research indicated the system was unfair on defendants who were being punished in overcrowded jails for crimes not comparable to the jail time served. Secondly, the American taxpayer was having to foot the bill for the time spent in jail by defendants who simply could not afford to make bail.

Testing

The Manhattan Bail Project employed staff members to interview defendants and then make recommendations to judges based on the interviews and references provided by the defendants. According to The California Association of Pretrial Services, the interviews rated a number of criteria for individual defendants. The criteria tested included the ties of the defendant to the community in which they lived, employment, financial situation and the defendant's past criminal record. The VERA Institute reports the information discovered about each defendant was then turned into a numerical score; the higher the score, the less chance the defendant would abscond if released back into the community before trial.

Results

As a part of the Manhattan Bail Project, an experimental group of defendants judged to have significant ties to the community in New York were released from custody with a written promise to return for their trial dates. The VERA Institute reports the initial group had a return rate of almost twice that of those released using the older bail system. The Vera Institute estimates the Manhattan Bail Project saved around $1 million from the Department of Corrections budget and upon implementation by the City of New York the program drastically reduced jail overcrowding.

Programs

The Manhattan Bail Project had a lasting effect on the pretrial justice system in the U.S. and around the world. Following the introduction of the Manhattan Bail Project in 1961, the Pretrial Justice Institute reports 36 jurisdictions introduced bail projects based on the Manhattan Bail Project. The VERA Institute explains that a New York agency operated by the City and Government and VERA has operated a system based on the Manhattan Bail Project since 1977. In the U.K., the British government's Home Office Department worked with VERA to create a pretrial system based on the Manhattan Bail Project that was introduced nationwide in 1974.

References

• Vera Institute of Justice: A Short History of Vera's Work on the Judicial System
• California Association of Pretrial Services: Pretrial Services - A History
• Pretrial Justice Institute: History of Pretrial Release