Mayor De Blasio Announces Plan to Release Low-Risk New York City Offenders Who Can’t Afford Bail

Saying no one should be stuck in jail just because they can’t afford bail, Mayor de Blasio on Friday announced a new supervised release program that will keep people free as they await trial.

The $17.8 million program allows judges in all five boroughs to assign defendants deemed a low flight risk to a supervisory program, instead of slapping them with a monetary amount for bail.

"Starting today, we are taking steps to ensure that people who can be safely supervised in the community are able to stay there, regardless of the size of their bank account,” de Blasio said.

The target population is individuals who authorities don’t think are a flight risk or pose danger to society, but who don’t have money for bail, the mayor’s office said.