The Socio-economic Impact of Pre-trial Detention
Pretrial detainees may lose their jobs and homes; contract and spread disease while in detention; be asked to pay bribes to secure release or better conditions of detention; and suffer physical and psychological damage which persists after their detention ends.
The costs of excessive pretrial detention are paid not only by the detainees, but also by their families, communities, and states. Families suffer from lost income and forfeited opportunities, including a multi-generational effect in which detainees’ children suffer lower lifetime income. And the ripple effect does not stop there: the overuse of pretrial detention thwarts economic development, wastes state resources, and limits policy options.