Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

(ATLANTA, GA) — On May 1, Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 63 into law. The Bail Project offered the following statement in response: 

“With the passage of SB 63, the legislature and governor in Georgia have turned their backs on community safety. By limiting judicial discretion through requirements that cash bail be set for a variety of misdemeanors, and by restricting charitable bail organizations, churches, and individuals from supporting members of their community with bail assistance, SB 63 will fuel mass incarceration while removing a lifeline to impoverished Georgians who are incarcerated solely because they can’t pay bail.

A dozen jurisdictions across the country have recognized that cash bail is bad policy and have moved to reduce or eliminate its role in the pretrial system. Thankfully, we have evidence from this sweeping reform movement: minimizing the use of cash bail makes our communities safer. Instead of building on this evidence and advancing policies that reduce wealth-based incarceration and improve safety, lawmakers in Georgia have willfully turned a blind eye. And it will be vulnerable Georgians in need who bear the catastrophic consequences.

Georgia’s jails are in crisis: buckling under long case processing delays, overcrowding, and inhumane conditions. We need preventative solutions that close the revolving door of incarceration – not more incarceration. Lawmakers can and must pursue smart legislation that expands supportive services like affordable housing, employment programs, and mental health and substance use treatment. We urge other states to grasp that policy such as SB 63 is far from inevitable – it is a choice, and one that comes at the expense of Georgians who are most in need.”

About The Bail Project

The Bail Project is a national nonprofit that provides free bail assistance and pretrial support to thousands of low-income people every year, while advancing policy change at the local, state, and national level. It is on a mission to combat mass incarceration by eliminating reliance on cash bail and demonstrating that a more humane, equitable, and effective pretrial system is possible. Since November 2019, The Bail Project has assisted more than 1,500 Georgians with free bail assistance and voluntary supportive services. Our clients in Georgia have returned to nearly 90% of their court dates, laying waste to the idea that cash bail is a necessary incentive to ensure a person’s future court appearance.

Learn more about The Bail Project at bailproject.org. Read our policy roadmap at aftercashbail.org.

Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

(FRANKFORT, KY) — On April 12, 2024, the Kentucky House and Senate voted to override Gov. Beshear’s veto of the “Safer Kentucky Act” (House Bill 5). The new law threatens to worsen Kentucky’s overdose crisis, increase homelessness and pretrial jailing, and deepen hardship for those already struggling. The law also includes severe restrictions on charitable bail organizations that provide financial assistance to the many Kentuckians who are in jail simply because they cannot afford to post bail – which is more than half of the Commonwealth’s jail population. The Bail Project offered the following statement in response: 

“With this law, the bodies of the legislature have co-signed a policy that says only the wealthiest people deserve the presumption of innocence before trial.  But the problem in Kentucky is not with charitable bail organizations, it’s with the cash bail system. When cash bail exists, people – no matter how dangerous they may be – can pay bail and be released, while those posing no threat to the public will be detained simply because they’re too poor to pay. This creates a two-tiered system of justice that advantages the rich over the poor, one where wealth – not safety – determines who is detained pretrial and who goes free. 

The harms imposed by a cash bail system are apparently of no concern to Kentucky’s lawmakers. When people are unnecessarily detained because they can’t pay bail, they lose jobs, homes, and access to children, their health suffers, and they face worsened case outcomes. They also face a greater likelihood of being incarcerated again in the future because of how destabilized their lives become. Charitable bail organizations, on the other hand, have been tremendously successful. The 4,200 people living in poverty that The Bail Project provided free bail assistance to across 28 counties in Kentucky safely returned to 91% of their court dates with none of their own money on the line, laying waste to the idea that cash bail is a necessary incentive to ensure that someone returns to court. Restricting the activities of charitable bail organizations without reforming the pretrial system is tantamount to closing food pantries in the midst of a food crisis. 

A dozen jurisdictions across the country have recognized cash bail for what it is: an anachronistic, failed public policy. Amidst this sweeping reform movement, the evidence has been clear: minimizing the use of cash bail makes our communities safer by helping people avoid unnecessary incarceration that costs them their jobs and livelihoods. Instead of building on this evidence and advancing policies that reduce wealth-based jailing and improve public safety, Kentucky’s lawmakers took the easy way out by blaming scapegoats for their problems instead of investing in the needed policy solutions that would prevent crime in the first place.

What the people of Kentucky want and deserve are equal opportunities for justice, alongside supportive services that prevent justice-system involvement, like better schools, healthcare, housing, and employment opportunities. Instead, Kentucky’s lawmakers took a huge leap backward, passing a punitive law that will not only increase the cost of administering the state’s criminal justice system by hundreds of millions of dollars, but more importantly, result in more poor and sick Kentuckians incarcerated because the government is choosing to prioritize jail over support. Passed during a time when Kentucky’s violent crime rate is declining and well-below the national average, what this new law makes clear is that its proponents are living in the past. We urge other states to see the Safer Kentucky Act for the regressive and unfortunate piece of legislation that it is and commit to advancing evidence-based solutions that actually make communities safe.”

Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

(FRANKFORT, KY) — On April 9, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed the “Safer Kentucky Act” (House Bill 5). The Bail Project offered the following comment in response:

“With his veto, the Governor signaled he would neither be complacent nor stand idly by while the state’s elected representatives foolishly advance a bill that will only harm public safety. Make no mistake: the so-called Safer Kentucky Act, by further criminalizing homelessness, poverty and substance misuse, and attacking charitable bail funds, will only drive our communities deeper into trouble, ensnaring countless poor and sick Kentuckians within an unrelenting revolving door of justice-system involvement that will only destabilize them in the future.

One thing we should infer from the governor’s rejection of this bill is that the Commonwealth would be far better served pursuing prevention-first approaches to public safety by investing in the sorts of services that prevent justice-system involvement in the first place: services like community-based drug treatment, supportive housing, jobs programs, and good schools, to name a few.

The governor’s actions today are a testament to the unassailable reserve of the countless community activists and advocates who protested this bill in the first place. The reasons behind community opposition to this bill are obvious – and were apparently heard loud-and-clear by the governor. We will now await the legislature’s response and hope that they will see the governor’s actions for what they are: a representation of the state’s refusal to follow the legislature down a misguided path leading only towards unnecessary incarceration and needless suffering.”

Image: flickr Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs Office CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 

Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

(HOUSTON, TX) — On March 5, incumbent DA Kim Ogg lost her primary election. The Bail Project offered the following comment in response: 

“Ogg’s ouster as District Attorney serves as an object lesson in how unpopular shifts in policy can draw the ire of constituents and threaten political careers. The people of Harris County put their faith in a DA that would pursue policies upholding the promise of bail reform. When Kim Ogg turned her back on bail reform, Houstonians turned their backs on Ogg.

When Kim Ogg began her tenure, crime was at an all-time low across the country; yet still, our nation’s jails were crowded and falling apart, replete with reports of inhumane and dangerous conditions. Ogg, alongside advocates and practitioners, all recognized that cash bail and unnecessary incarceration created lasting harms for those who were subjected to it. People lost jobs, homes, access to children, and their physical and mental health deteriorated while in jail. Research shows that just 48 hours in jail increases a person’s likelihood of becoming justice-involved again in the future because of how destabilizing it is. Incarcerating people simply because they were too poor to pay bail, advocates and Ogg said, undermined the presumption of innocence. 

Ultimately, Ogg seemed to favor politics over policymaking, as made evident by how divorced her own analysis and perspectives on Harris County bail reform were from those of a university-affiliated independent court monitor. Her dissent alarmed supporters, and ran counter to the evidence. Through misinformation, manipulation, and outright lies, DA Ogg threatened Harris County’s legacy on bail reform – a legacy which should in fact serve as a model for other jurisdictions to follow.  Bidding farewell to the Ogg Administration’s regressive anti-bail reform practices and policies , Houstonians have restored the promise of cash bail reform in Harris County.”

Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

(HOUSTON, TX) — On March 3, the independent monitor for the O’Donnell consent decree released its seventh report analyzing the impact of cash bail reform on Harris County. The Bail Project offered the following statement in response: 

“These new findings underscore the resounding success of cash bail reform in Harris County – findings which are consistent with the nearly one dozen other jurisdictions that minimized the use of cash bail and found a similar result. The latest O’Donnell Monitor report affirms what we have long known – that reducing reliance on cash bail benefits public safety. Now, we have an even more robust body of evidence that serves as a powerful testament to how communities are safer and better resourced when we move away from this unjust system of cash bail. 

Cash bail systems are un-American and unconstitutional, subjecting people to lasting harm that includes job loss, unemployment, residential instability, and a worsening of physical and mental health conditions. Prior to these reforms in Harris County, there was a two-tiered system of justice for people charged with misdemeanors, where rich people could pay bail and go free and poor people would have to remain incarcerated. The playing field is now more even, and countless Texans have been spared from the dangerous, debilitating conditions ever-present inside county jails, and given instead a chance to defend their innocence from a place of freedom. What Harris County demonstrates is we can have accountability and safe communities even while curtailing the use of cash bail and pretrial incarceration. Other jurisdictions would do well to look towards Houston as a model.”

Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK) — On Feb. 2, the MODERN Justice Task Force released its report on how to reduce the jail population and improve public safety in Oklahoma. The Bail Project offered the following statement in response: 

“The MODERN Justice Task Force report, released last week, marks a significant first step for pretrial system reform in Oklahoma. Oklahoma has one of the highest incarceration rates in the United States. On any given day, there are about 9,000 people in jail in Oklahoma – the majority (nearly 70%) of whom are held in pretrial incarceration because they cannot afford the cost of their freedom. For too long, policy makers have been able to skirt the crisis of pretrial jailing due to the lack of a state-wide, uniform system of data collection and reporting. But this is precisely what the Task Force calls for in their new report. In order to reduce the jail population, address the needs of people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders, and ultimately create community safety for all Oklahomans – urban and rural, we need a centralized system to collect and publicly report pretrial data. We urge lawmakers to follow the lead of the Task Force by legislating a comprehensive data collection and reporting bill.”

Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

(ATLANTA, GA) — Today, lawmakers in Georgia passed Senate Bill 63 in the House. The Bail Project offered the following statement in response: 

“All Georgians deserve to be safe, but reliance on cash bail doesn’t keep us safe; public safety, not wealth, should determine whether someone is incarcerated pretrial. Unfortunately, with SB 63, the Republican-controlled House – in lock-step with the Senate – has passed regressive legislation that will only entrench a two-tiered system of justice in Georgia. By limiting judicial discretion through requirements that cash bail be set for a variety of misdemeanors, and by restricting charitable bail organizations, churches, and individuals from supporting members of their community with bail assistance, SB 63 fuels mass incarceration and removes a lifeline to impoverished Georgians who are incarcerated solely because they can’t pay bail. This is like placing restrictions on a food pantry while claiming to solve hunger. Apparently, the state’s lawmakers are turning a blind eye to the fact that this regressive legislation, which harkens back to misguided tough-on-crime approaches, will bring catastrophic harm to the most vulnerable Georgians. 

Georgia’s jails are in crisis: buckling under long case processing delays, overcrowding, and inhumane conditions. Accountability is necessary, but so is prevention. Instead of pursuing smart legislation that expands supportive services like affordable housing, employment programs, and mental health and substance use treatment, Georgia lawmakers have folded to a disproven, status quo approach that has only stoked the existing jail crisis and will ultimately make communities less safe. We urge the Governor to act where the Senate and House have failed: halt the criminalization of poverty by vetoing SB 63.”

About The Bail Project

The Bail Project is a national nonprofit that provides free bail assistance and pretrial support to thousands of low-income people every year, while advancing policy change at the local, state, and national level. It is on a mission to combat mass incarceration by eliminating reliance on cash bail and demonstrating that a more humane, equitable, and effective pretrial system is possible. Since November 2019, The Bail Project has assisted more than 1,500 Georgians with free bail assistance and voluntary supportive services. Our clients in Georgia have returned to nearly 90% of their court dates, laying waste to the idea that cash bail is a necessary incentive to ensure a person’s future court appearance. Learn more about The Bail Project at bailproject.org. Read our policy roadmap at aftercashbail.org.

Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

(ATLANTA, GA) — Today, lawmakers in Georgia passed Senate Bill 63 in the Senate. The Bail Project offered the following statement in response: 

“During a time when Georgia’s jails are in crisis – buckling under long case processing delays, overcrowding, and inhumane conditions – the Senate has made the misguided decision of passing SB 63, a bill that undermines the rights of Georgians by doubling-down on the use of cash bail, which undermines the presumption of innocence and is a primary driver of mass incarceration. 

With minimal notice or opportunity for community input, this bill severely restricts the operations of charitable bail organizations, even those operated by churches, which are a lifeline to impoverished Georgians who are incarcerated solely because they can’t pay bail. This is like placing restrictions on a food pantry while claiming to solve hunger. 

As long as Georgia’s cash bail system persists, a two-tiered system of justice exists: people with money – no matter what they are charged with or how dangerous they may be – will be able to buy their way to freedom, while people without money will be forced to remain incarcerated pretrial, where they will lose jobs and homes, and face the pressure to plead guilty even if they are innocent. To truly close the revolving door of mass incarceration, we need to invest in preventative services like supportive housing, employment programs, education, and drug treatment services, that give people a fighting chance to achieve stability in their lives and avoid crime. Instead, Georgia’s senators have turned a blind eye to what Georgians really need, and in the process, shown their callous disregard for reality. Smart policies decrease crime, but that’s not what this bill does.”

About The Bail Project

The Bail Project is a national nonprofit that provides free bail assistance and pretrial support to thousands of low-income people every year, while advancing policy change at the local, state, and national level. It is on a mission to combat mass incarceration by eliminating reliance on cash bail and demonstrating that a more humane, equitable, and effective pretrial system is possible. Since November 2019, The Bail Project has assisted more than 1,500 Georgians with free bail assistance and voluntary supportive services. Our clients in Georgia have returned to nearly 90% of their court dates, laying waste to the idea that cash bail is a necessary incentive to ensure a person’s future court appearance. Learn more about The Bail Project at bailproject.org. Read our policy roadmap at aftercashbail.org

Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

(FRANKFORT, KY) — Today, lawmakers in Kentucky introduced the Safer Kentucky Act (House Bill 5). The Bail Project offered the following statement in response: 

“We all deserve to be safe, but legislation like the Safer Kentucky Act cannot deliver on that promise because it doubles-down on policies fueling mass incarceration, which will only harm the poorest and most vulnerable Kentuckians. Instead of introducing legislation to provide funding for necessary preventative services that address unmet needs like unemployment, housing insecurity, mental illness and addiction – all of which are root causes of justice-system involvement – House Bill 5 contains a myriad of misguided provisions, including regulations of charitable bail organizations, which will only harm the most disadvantaged and already vulnerable Kentuckians in the state. Cash bail creates a two-tiered system of justice that benefits the rich and disadvantages those without money, upending the fundamental principle in our justice system that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. It’s for these reasons that charitable bail organizations are so crucial – they even the playing field by restoring the presumption of innocence and ensuring that everyone gets their fair shake during trial. Kentuckians broadly agree that our criminal justice system is in need of reform – the Safer Kentucky Act will not achieve that.”

Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

(ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN) – Ohio had a chance to pass bipartisan pretrial reform last year, but fumbled. Now, Michigan has the opportunity to become a leader of pretrial reform in the Midwest and across the country by passing HBs 4655–4662. A coalition of student groups from the University of Michigan – an alma mater of House Speaker Joe Tate – including Students 4 Decarceration, the American Civil Liberties Union of the University of Michigan, The Michigan Institute for Progressive Policy, as well as The Bail Project are together calling on Tate and the Michigan legislature to pass the package of bills that would bring comprehensive reform to the pretrial system in the state. Bus signs, digital and print ads, posters, flyers and a mobile billboard driving around Michigan Stadium on November 25 are among the coordinated actions aiming to drive home the urgency of this legislation.

HBs 4655–4662 would establish a uniform pretrial decision-making framework; guarantee due process protections for people charged with a crime; introduce the right to speedy trials; and create a statewide pretrial services system. HB 4655, for example, would require judges to release people charged with low-level, non-violent, non-sexual offenses without cash bail to await their trial at home, unless there is clear and convincing evidence that a person poses a risk to the community or of intentionally fleeing prosecution. In turn, HB 4657 would establish a statewide pretrial services system that would include court reminders, transportation assistance to court, referrals to treatment for mental health or substance use, and referrals to educational or job assistance programs.

In passing HBs 4655–4662, Speaker Tate and the legislature would prove that Michiganders know how to follow the evidence. Research shows that reduced reliance on cash bail improves public safety through lower rearrest rates. And through The Bail Project’s model of Community Release with Support, our clients return to over 91% of their court dates, proving that the provision of services for people post-release effectively ensures their return to court.

Tate and the legislature would also be standing up for the thousands of legally innocent Michiganders behind bars who have been underserved by the current pretrial system. The population of people held in pretrial detention has more than tripled in the last four decades in Michigan. And Black Michiganders disproportionately bear the burden of the pretrial footprint of the criminal justice system, comprising 15% of the state population, but 37% of the jail population.

The battle between the Wolverines and Buckeyes is around the corner. With HBs 4655–4662 sitting in the legislature, Michigan can prove itself a winner in more ways than one.