Challenging the Money Bail & Pretrial Detention System in St. Louis
Dixon v. City of St. Louis
In 2019, Civil Rights Corps and partners brought a landmark challenge to the money bail and pretrial detention system in St. Louis, Missouri. Our clients and named plaintiffs were all detained in the Workhouse, a local jail in St. Louis with a long history of abusive treatment by guards and inadequate medical care.
At the time, approximately 95% of people charged with a crime in St. Louis were assigned money bail amounts higher than state and national averages. Judges were not inquiring about a person’s ability to pay, and not exploring alternatives to money bail, resulting in thousands of poor people, a majority of them Black, left languishing in jail cells prior to trial. The lawsuit is a part of the larger Close the Workhouse campaign, a grassroots collaboration between the people directly impacted by the Workhouse and the lawyers and activists committed to ending mass incarceration.
The case led to dramatic changes in everyday practices, resulting in significant reductions in the jail population. The case was eventually dismissed as moot after local and state officials changed their practices following the filing of our lawsuit.
Media Coverage:
St. Louis’ Cash Bail System Challenged In Court | St. Louis Public Radio | Jan 28, 2019
Partners:
Advancement Project
Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection
Filings:
Complaint (Jan 28, 2019)
More from the Bail
In re Kowalczyk. In May 2026, the California Supreme Court issued one of the most liberatory decisions in U.S. history, unanimously holding that jailing a person pretrial simply because they can’t pay money bail is unconstitutional. The California Supreme Court also held that the vast majority of people accused of crimes must be released prior to trial under the California Constitution and reaffirmed rigorous procedural protections that the government must follow if it seeks to detain a presumed innocent person.
Since the landmark Humphrey ruling, our California habeas project has expanded: providing training and partnering, so far, with 17 county public defender and appointed defender offices spanning all 6 of California’s intermediate appellate districts and the California Supreme Court.
Sandoval v. Riverside. In May 2025, individuals detained in Riverside County jails filed a class action lawsuit challenging Riverside County’s cash-based jailing of individuals between their arrest and first court hearing, as well as Riverside County’s unnecessary delay of that hearing. Rabbi David Lazar and Reverend Jane Quandt chose to join this lawsuit because they view cash-based jailing as unconscionable. The lawsuit was filed against Riverside County Superior Court, Riverside County, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Chad Bianco.
In partnership with public defenders in Oregon, Civil Rights Corps is challenging Oregon’s longstanding practices of jailing people charged with misdemeanors prior to trial and jailing people charged with other crimes without constitutionally required due process.
Butler v. Prince George's County. In 2022, CRC and partners filed a class action lawsuit challenging Prince George’s County's pretrial detention practices. The lawsuit seeks a declaration that PG County and its officials violate Plaintiffs’ rights under the United States and Maryland Constitutions by detaining people pretrial without meeting the substantive and procedural standards required for pretrial detention.
Urquidi v. City of Los Angeles. CRC and co-counsel brought suit in California Superior Court in November 2022 on behalf of several individuals who had been jailed for five days simply because they could not access enough cash to pay for their freedom.
Caliste v. Cantrell. In 2017, Civil Rights Corps filed a landmark federal class action lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional money bail system in New Orleans, Louisiana.
McNeil v. Community Probation Services. In 2018, five named plaintiffs sued Giles County, TN and two private probation companies on behalf of a class of people who were being supervised on for-profit probation.
Guill v. Allen. In November 2019, CRC filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people locked in jail cells in Alamance County, North Carolina only because they are too poor to purchase their freedom.