DENVER — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at ending cashless bail in DC and across the nation – and threatens the revocation of federal funds that don’t comply.
Cashless bail, known as personal recognizance or PR bonds, is a system in which suspects are released from jail while awaiting trial based on their promise to appear in court rather than paying out cash.
Denver7 Investigates has extensively covered PR bonds and their impact on public safety in Colorado in recent years. That reporting includes the story of Martin Gonzalez Pena, who was arrested in 2021 for multiple serious drug offenses, including getting caught by an undercover Denver Police Officer carrying 20,000 fentanyl pills. After receiving a PR bond and walking out of jail without a single dollar of bail, he failed to appear in court.
Our data crunch at the time showed in Denver, 69% of all serious drug offenders received no cash or PR bonds, and we also discovered 45% of the accused offenders who received those no cash bonds never returned to court, were never held accountable.
So now the question is, how does Trump's executive order potentially impact the judicial system here in Colorado?
Denver7 spent the hours after the executive order was signed on the phone all day and online trying to gauge the response. Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty pointed out that Colorado does not have cashless bail for serious crimes.
“I certainly think here in Colorado, we need to give a close look that public safety is being considered appropriately,” Dougherty said. “That being said, I certainly think the Trump administration should not threaten withholding funding to leverage changes in laws.”
We also reached out to Denver's DA for reaction. We were told they had not had any time to focus on the issue.
Colorado's Attorney General's office said it was reviewing the executive order and its potential impact on Colorado. Clearly, the announcement in Washington, D.C. was unexpected by many, and they are now scrambling to assess its impact.
Denver7 Investigates is also following the fallout and will bring you more stories as things unfold.
