The Bail Project

About The Bail Project:

The Problem

There is no place in the criminal justice system where money more clearly buys justice than bail. People who can’t afford bail remain in jail before trial, while those with money buy their liberty. Tying freedom to financial ability upends the presumption of innocence, tears lives apart, and perpetuates racial and economic disparities. It is also a key driver of mass incarceration. Each year, an estimated 2.5 million people sit in jail cells across America because they cannot afford bail.

The Response

The Bail Project is a national nonprofit that provides free bail assistance and pretrial support to thousands of low-income people every year. We are on a mission to combat mass incarceration and demonstrate that a more humane, equitable, and effective pretrial system is possible.

The Model

The Bail Project uses a national revolving bail fund to pay bail for individuals who are legally presumed innocent, and whom a judge has deemed eligible for release. We then provide court reminders, transportation, and work with local partner organizations to connect our clients with voluntary social services and community-based programs. We call this model Community Release with Support, and it has proven highly effective in helping people make their court dates. As our clients’ cases close, bail comes back into the fund where it is recycled to help additional people. The goal of The Bail Project is to work ourselves out of a job by gathering human stories and data from our ground work to advance legislative and policy change to end cash bail and invest in Community Release with Support (aftercashbail.org). 

The Team

We are a community of advocates committed to ending mass incarceration and advancing racial and economic justice. Our organization consists of a central support hub and a growing network of client advocates or “Bail Disruptors” who work in their local communities to provide bail assistance and help advance advocacy efforts on the ground.