On any given day, about 65% of people in jail are there awaiting trial.

Blacks and Latinos are more likely than whites to be denied bail, to have higher money bond set, to be detained because they cannot pay their bond and, therefore, more likely to remain incarcerated before trial – even when the crimes they commit are exactly the same as whites.

Seventy percent of pretrial releases require money bond, an especially high hurdle for low-income defendants who are disproportionately people of color.

Pretrial detention has been shown to increase the odds of conviction. People who are detained awaiting trial are more likely to accept a less favorable plea deal, more likely to be sentenced to prison, and more likely to receive longer sentences.