On Nov. 21, the Justice Study, conducted by the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School in cooperation with The Therapeutic Justice Foundation, launched in Bexar County.

According to a news release, the Justice Study will investigate the effects of pretrial incarceration. It offers people recently arrested and taken to Bexar County Jail who were assigned bail they cannot pay themselves and who want to participate in the research a 50% chance of being placed in an extra-chance group or a regular pretrial group.

The release said for people randomized to the extra-chance group, the TJF posts their bail, so they can remain free while awaiting their trial.

For people randomized to the regular pretrial group, the local nonprofit will not post their bail. However, members of this group can still be released if they are able to post their own bail, if someone else posts their bail for them or if the judge removes their bail, the release said.

The design of the study is similar to what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires in studies to figure out whether new drugs work, the release said, adding the research team will gather outcome data from various sources.

Participants agree to allow researchers to obtain information about them from government records; the researchers will keep the information anonymous, the release said.

Participants also have the opportunity to receive incentives in return for answering survey questions. Individuals charged with violent or domestic violence offenses or with violent or domestic violence convictions in their recent past are not eligible to participate, the release said.

Researchers at the University of Zurich and at the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School are doing the scientific research. The NOMIS Foundation, based in Zurich, is providing the necessary fundraising.

The TJF enrolls participants, bails out those randomly assigned to the extra-chance group and works to link all participants to supportive services in the Bexar County community.