ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

2019 New York bail reform

The New York Bail Reform refers to a new law put in place in 2019 to change how people are treated when they get arrested and go to court. Before this new law, when someone gets arrested, the judge would decide if they should be held in jail before their trial or if they could be let go until their trial. If the judge decided to keep them in jail, the person would need to pay some money called bail to get out of jail. Bail is like a promise that the person will come back to court for their trial.

The new law changed this process and made it so that many people who are arrested can be let go without having to pay any bail. Instead, they will be asked to promise to show up to court for their trial. This means that if someone gets arrested, they won't have to stay in jail just because they can't afford to pay the bail.

The new law also made it so that some crimes that were once considered too serious for bail to be allowed, now can be released without bail. This is because the law thinks that people shouldn't be kept in jail just because they can't pay for bail, especially if the crime they are accused of isn't very serious or they aren't considered a threat to themselves or the community.

Overall, the New York Bail Reform is a new law that made it easier for people who get arrested to avoid being kept in jail just because they can't afford bail. It also made it so that certain crimes aren't automatically considered too serious for bail to be removed.