Freedom, Then the Press, Volume II: New Data, Same Tricks
Despite ongoing misinformation and a blitz of misleading media coverage, data shows that bail reform works.
This new FWD.us report, “Freedom, Then the Press Volume 2” analyzes how many New York-based media outlets continue to peddle false narratives surrounding crime and bail reform. The facts, supported by numerous government data analyses and succinctly summarized in this report, are that bail reform has not resulted in a rise in crime.
Despite this widely available evidence, “Freedom, Then the Press Volume 2” analyzes how not just the content, but also the volume of media stories misrepresenting crime has contributed to a decline in support for important reforms, and to the erroneous public sentiment that bail reform has caused a rise in public safety.
This report summarizes the numerous independent data analyses demonstrating bail reform's success, provides a new FWD.us data analysis showing no change in re-arrest rates for people impacted by bail reform since the passage of that reform, and includes a media analysis which examines the impact of the large volume of articles linking bail reform to crime.
What's happening with criminal justice reform in New York
The facts are clear: Bail reform has been resoundingly successful. As many as 183,000 New Yorkers have been spared the injustices of bail and pretrial jailing since passage and 98% of those released under bail reform have not been rearrested for a violent crime. But some lawmakers are proposing rollbacks that would dramatically increase pretrial incarceration and racial disparities and undo years of work towards ending the criminalization of poverty – all without advancing public safety.
The Case for Criminal Justice Reform in New York
Protect Bail Reform from Rollbacks
Hear from real New Yorkers why bail reform must be protected.
Bail Reform is Working
Hear from FWD.us New York State Director for Criminal Justice Reform, Rodney Holcombe as he talks with PIX11 about bail reform successes in New York.
Fighting for New York Families
New York passed a historic package of pretrial reforms in 2019. Watch three New York families explain how money bail harmed their families and how they fought for change.
