NON-PROFIT IN NYC POSTS BAIL FOR THE POOR

The Bronx Freedom Fund, a non-profit organization that posts bail for the poorest of the poor, ought to be a trend setter for the rest of the country

The Bronx Freedom Fund, which provides bail of up to $2,000 to those who can’t afford it, was established by the Bronx Defenders, a group of lawyers who provide free legal services to truly indigent people that have been arrested. The bail is provided only to those who have been busted on very minor offenses, but who would otherwise remain in jail for days, weeks or even months because they could not make bail.

Remaining in jail while awaiting trial for minor offenses can result in loss of jobs and even a place to live. Many inmates will agree to a plea bargain just to get out of jail, even though some of them would have been acquitted had the case gone to trial.

The Bronx Defenders say they created the Bronx Freedom Fund because “for thousands of indigent criminal defendants in New York City, $500 is all that stands between weeks on Riker's Island and being branded with a criminal conviction, and having the case against them dismissed. The problem is that when you're really poor, finding $500 bucks can be virtually impossible.”

Although only around 65 persons have been bailed out by the Bronx Freedom Fund thus far, I believe this is a great idea. I have always been bothered by the large number of people who have been stuck in jail for minor offenses simply because they did not have the money to bail out. From what I have seen, people released on their own recognizance tend to be people of some means, not the poorest of the poor.

Hopefully similar no-profits will spring up all over the country. If we had such an organization in the Houston area I would gladly contribute some money to it.

BAILING OUT THOSE WHO CAN’T MAKE BAIL
By Alisa Roth

WNYC
May 16, 2014

Every year, thousands of New Yorkers get stuck behind bars for weeks, or even months, because they can’t post bail that’s less than $2,000. A new program in the Bronx is trying to help.

A study by Human Rights Watch found that almost 90 percent of New Yorkers arrested on non-felony charges and given bail of less than $1,000 spent more than two weeks in jail because they couldn’t get bailed out. When that happens, people can lose jobs, housing, even custody of their children.

To avoid these consequences, some of those detained will accept plea bargains in order to get out as quickly as possible. But studies have shown that being in jail at the time of a trial leads to worse outcomes: you’re more likely to be convicted of a felony, more likely to be sentenced to prison, and sentences are often longer than they would be otherwise.

The Freedom Fund tries to help minimize these outcomes.

Created by the Bronx Defenders, a group that provides legal services to people who can’t afford a lawyer, the Fund provides bail up to $2,000 for clients accused of non-felony crimes.

It first started in 2007, but a judge questioned whether a non-profit bail fund was even legal. The Bronx Defenders took its fight to Albany, and managed to change the law, paving the way for other organizations to start their own bail funds.