The Bail Project

No one should be jailed because they don’t have money. At The Bail Project, we’re creating a system that treats people equally – whether they have $5 or $5,000. Because justice must work for everyone. Join us in protecting the right to equal justice at bailproject.org.

LaVonda was healing. Rebuilding. Moving forward. Then unaffordable cash bail nearly stopped everything. On the Flathead Reservation, The Bail Project helped her stay free – and stay on track. Watch what real justice looks like when it's rooted in care.

The Bail Project does more than provide bail. We connect clients with resources that break the cycle of incarceration. After being released from pretrial detention, Robby was still struggling with addiction. When he expressed needing support, we connected him with a crisis treatment center where he was able to heal and rebuild his life. 41% of people in local jails report having a substance use disorder. But punishment is not an effective treatment for addiction. Our model prioritizes the health and safety of our clients. Read Robby’s full story at bailproject.org. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

Freedom is one of our country’s deepest values – one many people have died fighting for. At The Bail Project, we honor their legacy. By fighting for freedom everyday, we work to ensure equal justice under the law for everyone, regardless of their race or wealth. This #MemorialDay, join us in giving the gift of freedom.

Share with a loved one who needs to hear this. ❤️ #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

Each year, 2 million people with serious mental illness are jailed instead of getting care. In fact, they’re 10 times more likely to be incarcerated than hospitalized — often just because they can’t afford bail. Jails are not treatment centers. Less than half of people with mental illness in jail receive any mental health services, and suicide remains the leading cause of death in U.S. jails. Cash bail traps people in trauma instead of offering healing. People with mental illness deserve care, not cages. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

Jails have become our nation’s default mental health facilities. Just let that sink in. Decades of underfunded mental health care have created a system where 911 calls from distressed families lead to a response from the police, despite their lack of clinical expertise. Rather than receive mental health support, people with mental illness are then incarcerated. And once inside the system, cash bail makes it nearly impossible for them to get out. Read more at https://lnkd.in/gAPtzkJV #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

Destinie was driving to pick up her three-year-old daughter from preschool when her day turned into a nightmare. Pulled over at what should have been a routine traffic stop, she was arrested on an out-of-state warrant with no way to reach her baby. Unable to afford her $9,000 bail, Destinie awaited trial in jail for nearly two months – missing precious milestones with her daughter that she could never get back. Evidence suggests that when mothers are separated from their children as a result of incarceration, their children suffer, too. They face greater instability, and with it feelings of isolation, confusion, and sadness. Read Destinie’s story and join us at bailproject.org.

This Mother’s Day, we’re honoring the resilient women navigating the pretrial system and beyond. More than 60,000 women are jailed pretrial on any given day in the U.S. Two-thirds are mothers of minor children, and most have not been convicted of a crime. When mothers are held in pretrial detention, their children are left destabilized and traumatized. This is a system designed to criminalize poverty, not promote justice – and innocent lives are the cost. Join us in bringing mothers home at bailproject.org. #HappyMothersDay

What happens when a mother of three is held in pretrial detention on $20,000 bail? She vanishes from her children, risking her home, her job, and their safety. Take it from DeAsia Taylor. “I spent four days locked up, pacing a cement floor, wondering what my boys were doing, who picked them up from school, whether they were scared. I cried. I prayed. And I tried to stay calm.” Read DeAsia’s heart-wrenching story at https://lnkd.in/gHf3TU4e