AFPI Supports Ending the Abuse of Cashless Bail Policies

Washington D.C.— Today, August 25, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to end cashless bail for individuals whose pending criminal charges or criminal history demonstrate a clear ongoing risk to public safety to protect the American people.

AFPI's Position on Cashless Bail

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) strongly opposes the abuse of cashless bail policies by activist judges and rogue prosectors who prioritize the rights of violent offenders over public safety to promote a harmful agenda. While cashless bail was initially conceptualized to reduce the burden on nonviolent individuals without the financial resources to post bail, it has become a mechanism to release repeat violent offenders with impunity.

In the report, Progressive Prosecutors Abusing Their Power, released in May 2024, AFPI documents how extreme progressive criminal justice policies—including cashless bail, broad decriminalization measures, and reluctance to pursue charges against repeat offenders—undermine accountability and put communities at risk.

Our justice system must ensure that violent individuals who present a threat to the safety of our communities are held in custody pending trial, without excessively punishing those who have been charged with low-level or nonviolent crimes, or nonviolent individuals without the financial resources to post bail.

While cashless bail is often promoted as a solution to economic disparities, it can also allow individuals with violent histories to return to the community without proper oversight. This policy was meant to be used thoughtfully, not as a revolving door to release violent repeat offenders back on the streets.

Lawlessness ends when accountability begins. President Trump’s actions move us away from cashless bail for serious violent crimes, so high-risk offenders aren’t turned loose to reoffend—protecting victims and restoring confidence in the rule of law.

Statement from Brett Tolman, Chair for Law & Justice at AFPI

“Cashless bail for serious crimes is a dangerous experiment that makes communities less safe,” said Tolman. “When individuals charged with violent offenses are released without safeguards, accountability vanishes, victims pay the price, and the trust citizens place in the justice system erodes.”