In 2004, Alex Tabarrok and Eric Helland conducted one of the most comprehensive studies on the subject of pretrial release.  The study was first of its kind and published in the prestigious University of Chicago Journal of Law and Economics.  The study determined that of all the various forms of pretrial release, financially secured release through a commercial bail bond was the most effective way of guaranteeing a defendant’s appearance in court.  In fact, when someone was released through other methods such as deposit bail or own recognizance release, they were 30% more likely to fail to appear for court than if they were released on a commercial bail bond.  Tabarrok and Helland both thought that it was interesting that commercial bail was so regularly criticized by its opponents, especially since it was so effective.  Here is a quote from the report.

“In light of the persistent criticism that surety bail encourages failure to appear, it is perhaps surprising that the data consistently indicate that defendants released via surety bond have lower FTA rates than defendants released under other methods.”

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Posted by: Eric Granof

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