Bailing Out the Protester

Abstract

The United States cash bail system unconstitutionally hinders protest rights enshrined in the First Amendment. Protesting on controversial issues, while protected activity, often risks arrests and other interactions with police. Unfortunately, studies show that protesters of color are arrested at higher rates than white protesters.

Cash bail, in turn, increases the cost associated with the arrests related to protests, further disincentivizing protesters from engaging in lawful activity. Although the overwhelming majority of these protests and demonstrations are peaceful, and many of the charges in these arrests are eventually dropped, arrested protesters are still required to put up hundreds––sometimes even thousands––of dollars to be released pretrial. If they cannot, they must remain in jail until their trial, until the charges are dropped, or until they are able to raise enough money to be released. This pretrial detention, even if it only lasts a few days, has significant consequences. Furthermore, these consequences are not shared evenly: the cash bail system disparately impacts people of color, who are imposed bail at higher rates and at higher amounts, meaning they will also experience negative consequences at a disproportionate rate.

Because states are criminalizing more conduct, elevating charges from misdemeanors to felonies, and continuing to impose bail amounts on protesters, the intersection between cash bail and protests is unavoidable. In turn, many people could be afraid to protest because they do not have enough money to afford their bail if they are arrested at the protest, and because they cannot afford the negative consequences of awaiting their trial in jail.

This Article discusses how cash bail dissuades First Amendment expression by compounding existing consequences created by government action that also curtails lawful protests. Furthermore, the disparate rates at which protesters of color are arrested and later imposed bail raises an equal protection concern, deterring people of color from expressing constitutional rights. Removing cash bail in limited circumstances associated with otherwise lawful protesting, measured reform may help alleviate some of the disparate risks involved with protected activity. While eliminating bail altogether is the ultimate goal, this measured reform would be an incremental step towards broader change, building public support for holistic reform.