Bail interviewing: A case study of a cross-national policy transfer

This article analyzes a cross-national policy transfer. It explores how England and Wales adapted bail interviewing that had been pioneered by the Vera Institute in the United States. The exploration centers on some of the reasons for the failure of an initial attempt to transfer the policy in the mid-1970s and for the comparative success of a second attempt that was made after 1985. Emphasis is placed on the explanatory role of incentives and organizational culture. Since many aspects of England's pretrial system remained constant during the interval between the two attempts, the study of both attempts offers a good opportunity to analyze factors that influence success in policy transfers between countries that perceive similar criminal justice problems.