Evaluating the Impacts of Bail, Sentencing, and Pretrial Reforms in New York and Beyond

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

This thematic panel brings together four studies examining the impacts of recent criminal justice reforms in New York State and beyond. Drawing on a decade of research from the Safety and Justice Challenge, the first presentation highlights lessons from local and statewide reform efforts, including deflection, diversion, and bail reform legislation. The second presentation employs a controlled-interrupted time series design to evaluate the system-wide recidivism effects of eliminating bail in New York’s suburban and upstate regions. The third presentation focuses on the long-term impacts of New York’s 2020 bail reform amendments, using quasi-experimental methods to assess recidivism over more than four years across all state counties. The final presentation examines the anticipated impacts of proposed sentencing reforms—such as changes to earned time, merit time, and mandatory minimums—on prison populations and racial disparities in incarceration. Together, these studies provide timely, policy-relevant evidence on how reforms shape justice system outcomes.

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 46. Courts & Sentencing

Individual Presentations

• What Works? Findings from A Decade of Research and Investment on Criminal Justice Reform - Jennifer Ferone, CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance; Diana Spahia, CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance

• Examining the System-Wide Effect of Eliminating Bail in New York’s Suburban and Upstate Regions: A Controlled-Interrupted Time Series Study - Stephen Koppel, Data Collaborative for Justice (DCJ) at John Jay

• What are the Long-Term Recidivism Impacts of New York’s Bail Reform? A Quasi-Experimental Test - Rene Ropac, Data Collaborative for Justice (DCJ) at John Jay

• Impacts of sentencing reforms on New York State prison population: Examining changes to earned time, merit time, and mandatory minimum sentences - Jaeok Kim, Vera Institute of Justice

Chair

• Rene Ropac, Data Collaborative for Justice (DCJ) at John Jay