That is one of the clearest harms of cash bail. A person can be presumed innocent and still have their life disrupted immediately. A bond amount can decide whether someone waits for court at home or in a jail cell. That decision can affect employment, parenting, family stability, and the ability to participate in one’s own defense.

Across the United States, hundreds of thousands of legally innocent people sit in jail awaiting trial. In Oklahoma alone, more than 9,000 people sit in local jails on any given day, nearly 70 percent legally innocent and awaiting court.