Conservatives Must Lead Way on Cash Bail Reform

It’s no secret that 2021 was one of the most violent years in recent history for many U.S. cities.

From coast to coast, cities including Philadelphia; Louisville, Kentucky; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Portland, Oregon, all saw their highest homicide rates in decades.

While this spike in violence has sparked a debate about the right response, there is one consensus: The cash bail status quo is unsustainable.

Just look at the deadly vehicular attack on the Waukesha, Wisconsin, Christmas parade last year. The madman behind the wheel, Darrell Brooks, shouldn’t have been free in the first place. He had been released only 72 hours earlier on a $1,000 bond after attempting to kill the mother of his child.

But despite the consensus that this tragedy could have been prevented, I’ve seen too many people mischaracterize Brooks’ low cash bail as a failure of “bail reform.”