President Donald Trump has taken to social media to advocate for the elimination of cashless bail, arguing that such policies have been ineffective and endanger public safety.
“Crime in American cities started to escalate when cashless bail was introduced,” Trump stated.Posted on Monday. “The worst offenders are overwhelming our streets and putting our dedicated law enforcement officers at risk. It’s a total disaster that needs to end soon!”
This is a recurring theme for Trump, who has voiced similar concerns on the campaign trail. At a rally in the Bronx last May, he criticized the “radical left approach to crime policy” which he claimed has “destroyed” cities like New York.
“I know about these reckless policies. No cash bail… I’m calling for the detention of violent, repeat offenders from our police force, sanctuaries, and prisons,” Trump stated. He referenced the tragic death of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, who was shot during a traffic stop by a suspect in March. “These violent, repeat offenders would never have been on our streets. Jonathan should still be alive today, but he was repeatedly released,” he added.
In 2019, New York eliminated cash bail for most non-violent offenses. In Illinois, despite warnings from prosecutors about potential chaos, the Democratic-controlled Congress and Gov. JB Pritzker also abolished cash bail in 2023. Attorney Patrick Kenneally noted that the new system produced “absurd” and “inconsistent” outcomes right from the start.
Since then, there have been patterns of repeat offenses.
In Chicago, a 43-year-old man named James Tolbert was released after the cash bail was abolished, despite being charged with multiple shopliftings and robberies, including at Macy’s. He was later arrested for stealing over $2,000 worth of sunglasses, injuring loss prevention agents, and carrying a switchblade connected to metal knuckles, as well as possessing a stolen credit card.
Another individual, Juvenal Coronel, was arrested five times within the first month of the new Illinois policy. Each time, he faced charges such as battery for allegedly attacking women and even hitting a 14-year-old boy with a rake, but the court allowed him to go free.
Research from Yolo County, California, indicated that more than 70% of suspects released without bail were re-arrested for new crimes, including violent offenses such as rape and robbery. This study reported a 163% increase in overall crime and a 200% rise in violent crime under the new policy compared to the traditional bail system.
