THE PROBLEM
In the criminal justice system, judges set bail to provide defendants with the incentive to return to court. However, the unfortunate reality is that many defendants in poor communities of color like the Bronx are too poor to make bail, even if it is as low as $500, $1,000, or $1,500. More than half of the Bronx defendants who have bail set remain behind bars for their entire pretrial period. This detention can last for days, months and sometimes as long as a year.
Many defendants would rather accept a guilty plea, regardless of their guilt, just so they can go home. Pretrial detention, whether it lasts two days or two months has devastating collateral consequences on individuals and communities. In addition to the obvious deterioration of mental and physical health, people are fired from their jobs and evicted from public housing. Students miss school, parents lose their children to foster care, and non-citizens are placed in deportation proceedings.
In the face of these consequences and under the threat of continued incarceration, many defendants, whether guilty or innocent, plead guilty simply to get out of jail. As it turns out, simply posting small amounts of bail on behalf of the poor makes all the difference.
THE BAIL FUND
Fighting from a position of freedom matters. The Bronx Freedom Fund is a revolutionary program designed to help poor Bronx residents avoid the costs of short jail sentences.
Our fund posts bail for a small number of indigent defendants who are assessed for their community ties and history of court compliance. We connect our clients with services and support for the duration of their cases, ensuring that they not only meet their court obligations but also get assistance to stabilize their lives in the long term.
Since we opened in late 2007, 93% of our clients returned to make all of their court appearances. In addition, more than 50% of the cases we posted bail on were dismissed or resulted in a non-criminal disposition. Not a single person released by our fund has ever returned to jail to serve a sentence for the case we posted bail on.
This decrease in incarceration on both ends of the criminal case also results in enormous savings to taxpayers. Indeed, a dollar spent by the bail fund saves more than 6 dollars in incarceration costs. As cases close, bail is refunded into our revolving fund to help future people.
In the criminal justice system, judges set bail to provide defendants with the incentive to return to court. However, the unfortunate reality is that many defendants in poor communities of color like the Bronx are too poor to make bail, even if it is as low as $500, $1,000, or $1,500. More than half of the Bronx defendants who have bail set remain behind bars for their entire pretrial period. This detention can last for days, months and sometimes as long as a year.
Many defendants would rather accept a guilty plea, regardless of their guilt, just so they can go home. Pretrial detention, whether it lasts two days or two months has devastating collateral consequences on individuals and communities. In addition to the obvious deterioration of mental and physical health, people are fired from their jobs and evicted from public housing. Students miss school, parents lose their children to foster care, and non-citizens are placed in deportation proceedings.
In the face of these consequences and under the threat of continued incarceration, many defendants, whether guilty or innocent, plead guilty simply to get out of jail. As it turns out, simply posting small amounts of bail on behalf of the poor makes all the difference.
THE BAIL FUND
Fighting from a position of freedom matters. The Bronx Freedom Fund is a revolutionary program designed to help poor Bronx residents avoid the costs of short jail sentences.
Our fund posts bail for a small number of indigent defendants who are assessed for their community ties and history of court compliance. We connect our clients with services and support for the duration of their cases, ensuring that they not only meet their court obligations but also get assistance to stabilize their lives in the long term.
Since we opened in late 2007, 93% of our clients returned to make all of their court appearances. In addition, more than 50% of the cases we posted bail on were dismissed or resulted in a non-criminal disposition. Not a single person released by our fund has ever returned to jail to serve a sentence for the case we posted bail on.
This decrease in incarceration on both ends of the criminal case also results in enormous savings to taxpayers. Indeed, a dollar spent by the bail fund saves more than 6 dollars in incarceration costs. As cases close, bail is refunded into our revolving fund to help future people.