WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Aug. 25 aimed at requiring criminal suspects to post a cash bond to be released from jail while waiting trial.
Trump’s mandate threatens to revoke federal funding for jurisdictions that allow suspects to be released without posting a bond. Another Trump order instructs DC police to charge suspects with federal crimes and hold them in federal custody to avoid releasing them without posting a bond.
“We’re ending it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Both orders are part of Trump’s focus on policing before the 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s administration has already begun directing policing in DC, and he has blasted Democratic mayors and governors for crime policies in New York, Chicago and major cities in California.
Cashless bail is a system in which defendants are released from jail while awaiting trial based on their promise to appear in court, rather than by paying a specific cash amount.
Critics say it reduces the incentive for defendants to show up for trial and puts public safety at risk by allowing them back on the street. But supporters say many low-income people can’t afford to post bond. They point to studies that bail should be based on risk factors, not wealth.
Trump’s national order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to submit a list of local and state jurisdictions with cashless bail policies and identify federal funds in those places that could be “suspended or terminated.”
The DC order calls for Bondi to identify potential actions that include restricting federal funding, services and approvals.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump orders aim to require suspects post cash bonds for jail release
