New Jersey's Criminal Justice system has shifted from a system that relied heavily on monetary bail to measure the risk defendants pose on two levels objectively: Will they show up for trial? Will they commit a crime while on release? On January 1, the court system began using the risk-assessment tool to help judges make more informed pretrial release decisions. To predict whether a defendant poses a low, moderate, or high level of risk, pretrial services officers now review each defendant's criminal history, a record of previous court appearances, and other objective information—as they will in an estimated 50,000 cases per year. Offenders considered a serious threat to public safety or risk of flight would be detained. Judges can also modify conditions of release based on new circumstances. For example, in Lucas County, Ohio, nearly twice the number of defendants are being released, pretrial on needs without bail. During that time, the percentage of defendants who skipped a court date dramatically reduced, and the number of defendants arrested while on release was cut in half.

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^{Keywords: New Jersey, Report, statistical, Bail Reform, National Center for State Courts, Hon.Stuart Rabner, 2017, Positive}

• Bail Reform