Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with University of Houston law professor Sandra Guerra Thompson about what cashless bail is and what impact it has had on crime and pre-trial detention rates.

On Monday, President Trump criticized Democrats who support cashless bail as being too soft on crime. In jurisdictions with cashless bail, people are jailed only if they’re considered a flight risk or a danger to their community; they are not detained solely because they can’t pay bail.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR