According to a CT Mirror analysis, people who are accused but not yet convicted made up about a quarter of those behind bars in June 2013. In January 2022, they made up 42% of those locked up. Many are only awaiting trial in prison because they couldn’t afford bail.
Research suggests being jailed pretrial makes people more likely to be convicted and receive harsher sentences than those who remain free until their case is resolved in court.
Reporter Kelan Lyons joins host Ebong Udoma to describe the case of one man left in prison for two months awaiting trial, and how that affected his life. You can read the first of Kelan’s three-part series on cash bail here.