Los Angeles Cash Bail System

Los Angeles County sits at the epicenter of the nationwide debate over money bail. Over the past decade, culminating in the County Superior Court’s Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols (PARP), which took effect in October 2023, the way judges decide whether a person remains behind bars before trial has changed more dramatically here than almost anywhere else in the United States. Today, cash bail is no longer the default for most non-violent arrests; however, it remains an option for certain crimes and specific circumstances. Understanding where the rules stand in 2025, how they are applied, and what options remain for an accused person requires up-to-date legal knowledge and courtroom experience.

As former prosecutor attorney Michael E. Kraut and the team at Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers know firsthand, freedom during the critical pre-trial window can make or break a defense. The goal of this page is to give you a clear, legally sound overview of cash bail in Los Angeles County as it operates today within the broader criminal process, and to explain how our firm can protect your rights if you or a loved one is facing an arrest.

• Economic inequality: In the traditional system, a wealthy defendant could purchase release within hours, while someone of modest means might spend weeks in jail on the same charge.
• Public costs: Each pre-trial inmate costs Los Angeles County taxpayers hundreds of dollars per day in housing, health care, and supervision.
• Pressure to plead: Studies have shown that defendants who remain in custody are significantly more likely to accept unfavorable plea bargains simply to be released, regardless of their actual guilt.
• Racial disparities: Because communities of color are over‑represented among low-income residents, the money‑bail model fell most heavily on Black and Latino Angelenos.
• Public safety paradox: Dangerous individuals with deep pockets could still walk free, while low-risk defendants sit in custody, undermining the stated goal of protecting the community.

By 2020, the pressures for reform had become impossible to ignore. Judicial rulings emphasized the constitutional requirement that any pretrial detention decision must account for the ability to pay, and California’s data-driven bail-reform pilot projects began showing that risk-assessment tools could reduce failures to appear without cash requirements.

Before 2023, Los Angeles County relied on a county‑wide bail schedule. For each Penal Code section, the schedule listed a dollar amount. The arresting agency or jailer would consult the sheet, write the number on the booking form, and the defendant had two options:

• Post the full amount in cash or through a cashier’s check and receive the funds back (minus administrative fees) at the end of the case.
• Purchase a commercial bond, typically 10 percent of the face amount, from a licensed bail‑bond company, knowing that the premium is non-refundable.

Judges had discretion to raise or lower the sum at a first‑appearance hearing, but in many misdemeanor cases, that hearing did not occur for up to two business days. Meanwhile, the defendant waited in the county jail system, currently one of the largest and most overcrowded in the nation.

On October 1, 2023, the Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court replaced the money-based schedule with the Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols (PARP). Key features include:

• Five Release Pathways
  • Cite and Release (CR): The officer issues a citation with a future court date. The defendant is never booked.
  • Book and Release (BR): The person is fingerprinted and photographed but walks out of the station within hours without paying money.
  • Automatic Hold (AH): Specified violent or serious felonies trigger a brief hold for judicial review.
  • Magistrate Review (MR):When circumstances suggest public. Safety or flight‑risk concerns, a judge conducts an individualized review, often within 24 hours, before setting non-monetary conditions or imposing detention.
  • Exceptions (EX):Certain offenses, repeat violators, or parolees still fall under money bail.
• Individualized Risk Assessments: Trained magistrates evaluate prior history, the alleged conduct, and any threats to victims instead of relying on a fixed dollar chart.
• Non-Monetary Conditions: GPS ankle monitoring, alcohol breath testing, stay-away orders, and supervised release now serve as alternatives to cash for many medium-risk defendants.

By severing the link between personal wealth and pre-trial liberty, PARP aims to protect public safety more effectively and in a constitutionally sound manner.

While the vast majority of low-level arrests no longer require upfront money, Los Angeles County continues to authorize monetary bail, or outright preventive detention, in the following situations:

• Crimes that carry a life sentence or require sex‑offender registration upon conviction
• Allegations involving the use or discharge of firearms or destructive devices
• Domestic‑violence offenses with a current protective‑order violation
• Any arrest in which the accused is already on formal probation or parole
• Defendants who have two or more failures to appear in the same case or within the past two years
• Individuals arrested while on release for a different felony matter

Even in these categories, a skilled defense lawyer can pursue a formal bail reduction or own recognizance (O.R.) motion by gathering favorable evidence, including employment history, family responsibilities, a lack of violent history, and community ties, and presenting it persuasively to the magistrate.

In March 2025, the Superior Court released its first comprehensive study of PARP. The findings were striking:

• Public‑safety metrics improved. Re-arrest rates for violent felonies among released defendants dropped 6 percent compared with the six months preceding zero bail.
• Court‑appearance rates rose. Eighty-seven percent of cite‑and‑release defendants appeared at arraignment, up from 79 percent under the money‑bail model.
• Jail overcrowding eased. The average daily population decreased by nearly 1,800 inmates, resulting in an estimated $86 million in savings in custody costs over the next twelve months.
• No significant racial disparities. The racial composition of pre-trial detainees more closely mirrored county arrest demographics, suggesting a reduction in inequity.

Opponents continue to challenge the policy, and several cities within the county have filed civil suits seeking injunctions. However, to date, no superior or appellate court has found the risk-based framework unconstitutional or demonstrably dangerous to the public.

• Judicial Own‑Recognizance Release: The judge trusts the defendant’s promise to return with no financial pledge.
• Supervised O.R.: Release accompanied by reporting to a pre-trial services officer, like probation, but less intrusive.
• Electronic Monitoring: GPS ankle devices or smartphone applications that track location.
• Substance‑Use Monitoring:Continuous alcohol monitoring bracelets or random drug testing as a condition of staying out of custody.
• Protective Orders: Stay-away directives, curfews, or firearm surrender can address safety concerns without incurring expenses.
• Community Support Letters: Verified employment, school enrollment, or family‑care obligations documented by credible third parties.

Our attorneys strategically assemble and present these options to give judges concrete alternatives to detention.

• Contact counsel immediately. Police and prosecutors move fast; so should your defense.
• Gather documentation. Pay stubs, lease agreements, and medical records help demonstrate community ties and health needs during the review process.
• Identify eyewitnesses and digital evidence. Early investigation can alter how a magistrate perceives risk.
• Prepare family members. Loved ones must be prepared to testify about the living arrangements or the individual's supervision capacity.
• Request a bail‑sourcehearingif applicable. When a money bail is imposed, the law permits scrutiny of the origin of the funds and sometimes opens the door to a lower amount when the funds are legitimate but limited in amount.
• Comply strictly with any release terms.Violating electronic monitoring or a stay-away order can result in immediate re-arrest and negatively impact the underlying case.

Michael Kraut served for more than 14 years as a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles before founding Kraut Law Group, Criminal & DUI Lawyers. That background gives our team:

• Insider knowledge of how LAPD, LASD, and the District Attorney’s Office make booking and charging decisions.
• Credibilityin front of judges who know we present accurate facts and practical release plans.
• Negotiation leverage with prosecutors, often persuading them to stipulate to non-monetary release or drastic bail reductions.
• Trial-ready posture that signals we will litigate aggressively if a client’s liberty is unjustly restricted.

Because the bail landscape is evolving, real-time insight and courtroom reputation often make the difference between walking out the same day and spending months in custody.

If you or someone close to you has been arrested anywhere in Los Angeles County, don’t navigate the new bail rules alone. Our team combines prosecutorial insight with a relentless defense mindset. We are available around the clock to fight for your freedom and build the most vigorous defense from day one.

For more information about the criminal justice process and to schedule your free consultation, contact Michael Kraut at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc., 24/7 at (323) 464-6453 or through our secure online form.