The Political Talk Podcast Discusses Charitable Bail Funds
Overview: Charitable bail funds are at the center of a growing controversy. These non-profit organizations came into existence to bail out individuals who have been arrested and charged with a crime, but are unable to come up with money to be freed. Criminal justice advocates have long argued that it is fundamentally unfair for someone to be jailed purely because they are poor.
In March, Travis Lang was charged in Indianapolis with murder in the shooting death of a 24-year-old man while he sat in his vehicle. At the time of the incident, Lang was free on bail after being charged with cocaine possession. He also had three pending cases for felony burglary, breaking and entering, and resisting law enforcement. Lang’s bail had been paid for by The Bail Project and represented the second person charged with murder after this particular bail fund had paid for their release
Recently, two Indianapolis police officers were stabbed in an unprovoked attack by Deonta Williams, who had been bailed out by The Bail Project. Earlier this year, Williams had been arrested for burglary and held in jail with a $25,000.00 bond. The Bail Project was able to have his bail reduced to $750 and posted the money for his release.
Less than two weeks ago, a GoFundMe effort tied to The Bail Project, attempted to raise the $5 million needed to bail out Darrell Brooks, Jr., the man accused in the Waukesha Christmas parade massacre. The fundraising was halted by GoFundMe before Brooks, charged with the killing six, including an 8-year-old boy and grievously injuring more than 60 others, could be freed.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund raised a reported $35 million in the wake of protests following the murder of George Floyd last year. However, little of the money was ever used to bail out peaceful protestors who were largely released on their own recognizance only hours after being taken in custody. Instead, the organization used the huge influx of cash to bail out suspects regardless of the charges against them, including a suspect who shot at police, a woman accused of killing a friend and a twice-convicted sex offender. In a KMSP-TV story, interim executive director, Greg Lewin, said, “I often don’t even look at a charge specifics when I bail someone out. I’ll see it after I pay the bail because it’s not the point. The point is the system we’re fighting.”
Not all bail funds are the same, and some operate under very high standards, including New York’s Brooklyn Freedom Fund, which careful vets the individuals they bail out, is properly licensed and adheres to strict data reporting. But many operate completely unregulated and the public has been left in the dark as to where their money is really going and who benefits from it.
The actions of bail funds across the country have raised questions about their singular focus on eliminating bail as a component of the criminal justice system, even at the cost of public safety.
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