Organization

The Bail Project

Baton Rouge, LA
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Mission

Who We Are: The Bail Project is a national nonprofit that pays bail for people in need, reuniting families and restoring the presumption of innocence. Our national revolving bail fund pays bail for low-income individuals who are legally presumed innocent, and whom a judge has deemed eligible for release from jail before trial contingent on paying bail. We enable our clients to return home to their families and communities while awaiting their court dates. We then provide court date reminders, referrals to voluntary social services, and pretrial supports such as transportation to help clients make their court dates. As their cases close, bail is repaid and can be recycled to help additional clients. In addition to these direct services, The Bail Project collects data and human stories to support advocacy and reform. Through these efforts, we seek to reshape pretrial justice for generations of Americans to come, bringing us one step closer to ending mass incarceration and racial and economic disparities in the U.S. criminal legal system.

The Bail Project
222 St. Louis Street, Floor 7
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
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Categories Legal Advocacy support Financial Financial assistance Justice systems departments, prisons

All Programs

Our Model: We partner with public defenders and local nonprofits to identify people in pretrial detention who cannot afford cash bail. Our teams conduct interviews with potential clients, determine eligibility based on history of court appearances and bail amount, and provide pretrial support, including court notifications, referrals to social services on a voluntary basis, and transportation assistance. We call this model Community Release with Support, and it has proven highly effective in yielding high rates of court return and better case outcomes, including dismissal of charges and charge reductions carrying no criminal record. As our clients’ cases close, bail is repaid and can be recycled to help additional people. Note that The Bail Project makes bail payments directly to the court. We are a nonprofit and our services are completely free. Due to its revolving nature, the fund is highly sustainable, helping us provide immediate relief on an unprecedented scale while we work toward long-term systemic reforms that make our intervention no longer necessary. Our partners in Baton Rouge include: the Baton Rouge public defender's newly-launched bond team, the Capital Area Reentry Coalition, VOTE (Voice of the Experienced), and the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition.