Bail Reform Act

Federal bail procedures have been set by two statutes, the Bail Reform Act of 1966 and the Bail Reform Act of 1984. The differences between the two acts—one designed to protect criminal defendants and the other designed to allow for preventive detention—may be seen as representing the broader changes that the criminal justice system underwent over the course of the late 1960s into early 1980s. Bail reform in the United States began with the bail reform movement of the 1960s. Studies suggested that the cash bail system was overly harsh ...