that was 25,000 to walk and i couldn t afford that reporter: may sat in jail for 14 months. she lost her business and said her life crumbled as a result. i had contracts i lost all those contracts i even lost where i was living it affected my family. my kids was really impacted by it reporter: she now advocates for bail reform. what do you say to people who are against bail reform, who say it s increasing crime? that claim can t be substantiated. reporter: this man studying bail reform at columbia university he says there aren t enough studies yet to get a clear answer, but also that crime is rising everywhere, including where there has been no bail reform it would be very strange to conclude that modest reform efforts in one or two jurisdictions is somehow responsible for a rise in crime. reporter: but for june rogers, who lost her son, it s hard to accept that bail reform didn t play a role in his death. no one is taking responsibility for this. i have to go down to
into our community they make our community less safe reporter: other states like california, illinois, kentucky, and new mexico have made similar changes. and shortly after reform was enacted in 2017, june rogers lost her 26-year-old son christian. the father of two was gunned down by a man arrested on a gun charge and released. i m hurt, angry, all of that. i lost my child, and i don t believe this would have happened had it not been for bail reform. reporter: the argument made for bail reform is that often times low-level offenders can t afford bond and can sit in jail for months like levette may she never had a criminal record until an altercation with her mother-in-law landed her behind bars my bond was $250,000.