Why are Charitable Bail Funds Against Ensuring the Appearance of the Accused with a Financial Guarantee?

Does The Bail Project even know what a surety bond is?

In the ongoing debate surrounding bail reform, charitable bail funds and their advocates have flooded media outlets with claims that financially secured surety bonds are ineffective for pretrial release. Organizations like The Bail Project point to their own paid research asserting that releasing defendants with full cash (often called money bail) and minimal personal accountability yields better outcomes than traditional surety bonds provided by licensed bail bond agents. In a recent article, Eric Granof, Vice President of Communications for AIA Surety, argue this narrative overlooks the proven track record of surety bonds, suggesting that if such claims were accurate, the entire surety bond system—used far beyond criminal justice—would be unnecessary.

Surety bonds drive accountability across the economy, from construction projects and licensing requirements to financial transactions and contractor performance guarantees. Proponents of secured pretrial release emphasize that placing financial responsibility on the line encourages responsible behavior, a principle that applies equally to bail reform discussions and everyday surety instruments like bid bonds, license bonds, and performance bonds. When charitable bail advocates testify against surety bonds, they ignore how the very buildings and infrastructure around them were built under strict surety bond requirements, underscoring that arguments dismissing licensed bail agents lack grounding in the broader reality of how these three-party contracts ensure integrity and success. Below is an excerpt from Mr. Granof's article as well as a link to the full article.

Do Charitable Bail Funds Even Understand What Surety Bonds Are?
Why is the Bail Project Against Surety Bonds…Maybe They Don’t Understand Them
By Eric Granof

Over the past several months, charitable bail funds and bail reform advocates have been inundating the media with articles and research that show that financially secured release through a surety bond is ineffective.  In fact, they even go on to say that their method of releasing people (with full cash…or as they call it, money bail) and no personal accountability has better results than pretrial release with a surety bond through a licensed bail bond agent.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE>>>