What's Happening in Pretrial Justice? May 2025

Criminal Justice Orgs File Suit: On May 21, the Vera Institute and other named plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and similarly-situated organizations, filed suit against the Department of Justice for its summary termination of more than $820 million through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). The suit argues that termination is unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act because it was arbitrary and capricious, and because termination causes irreparable harm, should be enjoined during the litigation process. The Pretrial Justice Institute lost OJP funding for its Willful Flight: Shifting Policy and Culture project. Help us keep the work going by donating today.

The Judicial Role in Closing Rikers Island: A working group convened by the Campaign to Close Rikers has issued a new report, to show that closing the jail will require a thorough examination of the role judges play in producing excessive detention. The report concludes with recommendations that focus on improving judicial decision making through changes in culture and training, improving pretrial release options and ability to pay reviews, and mandatory bail reviews.

Women Helping Women Get Free: The Hidden Heart of Reentry, a new report from the National Black Women’s Justice Institute and the Essie Justice Group, documents important lessons learned from bailing out Black women in California. Some of the biggest takeaways? Women with lived experiences provide important insights on how to best help women, and comprehensive support after pretrial release–in the form of court reminders, transportation, court clothing and emotional support–makes a huge difference in how they perceive themselves and how they are viewed by the courts.

The New Texas Two-Step - Going Backwards on Bail Reform: Texas has a trio of bills nearing passage that will increase the harms of the pretrial system. SJR 5 will expand the number of people held without bail or due process; SB 9 and HB 75 would increase the usage of monetary bail; and SJR 1 would require the pretrial detention of people deemed “illegal aliens” (including DACA recipients and asylum seekers), even in non-violent cases. Our friends at the Prison Policy Initiative give a great run-down here.

Court WATCH and Court CHANGE in Maryland: The annual report from Courtwatch PG, highlights what the group has observed over thousands of bail hearings in Maryland, including issues with simultaneous translation, pretrial release decisions by individual judges, and charge stacking. The group also has an accountability/letter-writing committee dedicated to alerting key officials with concerns and creating accountability.

Impact of Discovery Rules? It’s Complicated: The Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College examined the impact of New York’s 2020 discovery reforms, which were designed to create early access to prosecutorial evidence for people facing charges. Much of the impact depended on the region of the state. For example, New York City saw a significant increase in speedy trial dismissals, particularly for misdemeanors, but outlying city suburbs and downstate counties generally had minor increases in dismissals. As for case processing times, New York City saw a clear reduction in case processing times for all types of cases, while there was an increase for indicted felony cases in the rest of the state.

Ending Driver’s License Suspensions Linked to Higher Employment: A new working paper posted in the Paper Prisons Initiative has found that reforms to end driver’s license suspensions due to failure to pay (FTP) or failure to appear (FTA) in court are associated with strong employment gains. The key here, though, is that the reforms must be comprehensive, such as a retroactive application to previous charges of FTP and FTA, and providing automatic restoration of driver’s licenses.

But Does EM Work? A new report from the Justice Policy Institute takes a hard look at the use of electronic monitoring (EM) in Maryland, and comes away with concerns and questions. The use of EM has risen significantly in the state, but varies widely geographically; in Prince George’s County, 91% of people on pretrial supervision are on EM, compared to 21% in nearby Montgomery County. The authors also decried the lack of public documentation of policies, practices, populations, and outcomes related to EM.

Court Reminders DO Work, Yet Remain Underused: A survey conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts has found that even though court reminders are extremely effective in improving court appearance, they are not being used to their full potential. Only 18 states have a statewide court reminder program, and most states with reminder program require an opt-in, rather than automatic enrollment, which leads to low usage rates. Read on to see how your state fares!

Honoring a Legacy, Empowering the Future.

Scholarship for NAPSA Conference: In memory of long-time pretrial advocate Lori Eville, the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies is awarding six scholarships (one for each NAPSA region) to its 2025 annual conference in Atlanta. Eligible applicants must be a line staff member, a first line supervisor, or a program director from a program that has no more than 15 employees. Please apply by June 16. 

Powering Change Through Story

Earlier in May, Kevin Beckford, Senior Associate of Partnerships and Engagement, represented the Pretrial Justice Institute at the Narrative Power Summit—an energizing national gathering of strategists, organizers, and creatives committed to advancing racially just storytelling in a political era increasingly hostile to equity and truth.

The biggest takeaway? Now more than ever, our stories must be led by principles—not transactions. Communities, stakeholders, and funders alike respond to bold visions rooted in lived experience. This means centering authentic community voices, integrating data with narrative, and crafting values-based language that resonates across political lines. At PJI, we’re taking these lessons to heart as we lean more deeply into narrative design in our grant writing, our website, and our broader strategy.

We’re excited to engage our network in this work. If you’re a community advocate, public defender, or systems stakeholder navigating today’s charged political climate, we want to talk.

Real Talk, Real Support:

Join Rae for a Virtual Coffee Date ☕

The field is shifting—and for many of us working in pretrial services, that shift is heavy.

If you’re a person of color navigating this space, feeling the weight of burnout, or trying to lead a team that’s losing its spark… we see you.

That’s why we’re launching Virtual Coffee Dates with Rae—an experienced social worker, advocate, educator, mediator, trial attorney and court administrator who knows this work inside and out.

These sessions are a chance for casual, real conversation with a peer who gets it. No agendas. Just a space to connect, reflect, and breathe together.

Schedule a Chat