The Bail Project

08/19/2026

At 27, Austin’s days revolved around getting his kids to school, working, and playing semipro football on weekends. He was building something steady: a routine, a family life, a future.

Then, an arrest interrupted everything.

Unable to afford his bail, Austin stayed trapped in jail. He lost his job and bills began piling up. That strain spilled into his relationship with his wife.

When The Bail Project connected with Austin, “it was like a saving grace,” he said.

After his release, Austin attended every court date and followed every instruction. He was determined to keep his record clean, not just for himself, but for his children, who have autism and ADHD.

Austin’s case has since been completely dismissed. His message is clear. “People deserve a second chance.”

Austin came to understand what defines the American jail population: pretrial detention is often less about risk and more about resources.

08/18/2026

Mental illness is not a crime – but our justice system treats it like one.

People with mental illnesses are ten times more likely to be incarcerated than hospitalized. And jail cuts them off from the treatment, medication, and support they need to recover.

Unaffordable bail can trap people in the criminal justice system instead of giving them a chance to get help.

At The Bail Project, we pay bail for free and connect people to free voluntary services – including mental health support – so fewer people are kept in cages instead of receiving care. Learn more and join us at the link in our bio.

08/12/2026

Andrea’s children spent twelve days without their primary caregiver while she was trapped in jail. The hardships they faced left lasting scars.

Her five-year-old cried every time she went to the bathroom. One of her sons didn't want to go to school. "He was depressed," Andrea said. "He felt out of place because his provider wasn't there." And Andrea risked missing her oldest son's high school graduation.

08/10/2026

Normally when you miss an appointment, like for the doctor or the dentist, you're able to reschedule without any consequences. But for people in the pretrial system, the stakes are far higher.

Just one missed court appearance can cost someone a lifetime of freedom. But research shows that most people who miss court dates aren't intentionally evading prosecution. Missed court dates are often the result of the routine chaos of life – forgetting a date, childcare needs, transportation issues, or confusion about scheduling.

But there is a better way. At The Bail Project, we've proven that court notification systems are an effective way to help clients return to court.

Court notification systems alert people about their upcoming court dates through text, email, and phone reminders. These notifications are critical to a well functioning pretrial system. And with hundreds of thousands of people in jail for as little as a missed court date, this is an issue we can no longer wait to address.

The Bail Project is fighting to implement court notifications in jurisdictions across the country. Learn more:

Court date reminders save time and money and help keep people out of jail. It’s time for every state to use them.

08/05/2026

Terry was on a long roadtrip when the police stopped him in a retail parking lot.

“I’m getting ready to walk out my door to go take off,” Terry remembers. “The police come by... they were like, ‘You need to step outside,’ and I’m like, ‘Hold on, you yelling and screaming at me.'"

The 13 days Terry spent in jail took more than his liberty. In the chaos of the police encounter, he lost his two cats, Pearl Feather and Nora.

"I'm trying to figure out if I'm still stuck in the Matrix," he said. "But I'm still on my journey."

Pretrial detention took more than Terry’s liberty; it dismantled the fragile stability of his life on the road.

08/03/2026

55 years ago this summer, Nixon declared drug abuse "public enemy number one," launching an offensive that didn't just expand our prisons – it broke our pretrial system.

The War on Drugs dramatically expanded the use of cash bail and normalized incarcerating legally innocent people simply because they can’t afford bail.

Right now, 108,000 people are sitting in local jails on drug charges without a conviction. They are legally innocent, yet they are sitting behind bars instead of receiving treatment, cut off from their families, their jobs, and their stability.

We have now spent over half a century investing heavily in pretrial punishment. What if we invested in people – in treatment, support, and community stability – instead?

In her latest piece, The Bail Project’s Nicole Zayas Manzano breaks down how the War on Drugs weaponized cash bail and turned local jails into warehouses for the unconvicted.

Read more:

The impact of the War on Drugs continues to be felt in how it dramatically expanded the use of pretrial detention and bail.

07/31/2026

Many people don't know that cash bail shapes who is detained and who is released in American jails. It not only increases jail populations but impacts case outcomes long before a trial begins. Read more about the human cost of cash bail and why we need your help to end it.

The current pretrial detention system is not well-aligned with public safety, fiscal responsibility, or equitable treatment under the law.

07/30/2026

Supporting clients trapped in pretrial detention takes a team effort! Our dedicated Bail Disruptors work to free people from unnecessary incarceration every single day. Learn more about what we do at the link in our bio.

07/29/2026

Instead of profiting off of people in jail or charging them for their freedom, The Bail Project's work is rooted in community-based care and the presumption of innocence. We provide free bail assistance and pretrial support to thousands of low-income people each year through our Community Release with Support model.

Bail Project staff support clients through a four-step process:

📝 Receiving referrals for new clients from public defenders, family members, jail staff, and even prosecutors.
🤝 Meeting with prospective clients to assess needs and determine eligibility.
💵 Paying bail for our clients using donations.
💌 Connecting clients with supportive services like court reminders, transportation, and mental health care to ensure they remain stable and return to court.

Our clients return to 92% of their court dates – proving that cash bail is not necessary to ensure court appearances or protect public safety. This is what a fairer pretrial justice system can look like.

Learn more about our Community Release with Support model: https://bailproject.org/model/?utm_source=sociallink&utm_campaign=model&utm_medium=facebook

07/24/2026

Where do we even start? 🤦‍♀️ Nearly half a million people are trapped in jail right now, many simply because they cannot afford bail. Approximately 70% of these individuals were not accused of violent offenses, but rather nonviolent crimes such as shoplifting, poverty-related charges, or drug possession charges.

Our client, Blue, was trapped in jail for 41 days on a $10,000 bail just for her charges to later be completely dismissed. Unaffordable bail should not be used as a backdoor form of pretrial detention. Join us at the link in our bio.