Justine's campaign for The Bail Project
Tax deductible
July 28th marks my 40th orbit around the sun. It’s certainly been a strange year; however, isolation has given me the space to listen, learn and reflect on the importance of equality. I can’t think of a better birthday present than for my friends, family and perhaps acquaintances to join me in the fight to improve our world by supporting The Bail Project.
Presently, I’m doing everything I can to fill the gaps of the incomplete history I was taught in school. Only now am I truly able to understand the implications behind policies implemented in my lifetime by both political parties; I’m taking the steps to let go of my own implicit bias and racism. I’ve come to the conclusion that I cannot be defensive when someone holds me accountable if my racism rears its ugly head. We are all racist. We can’t change the past, but we can reflect and do better in the future.
Why is The Bail Project important? Setting a bail was designed to give people incentive to show up for their court date. But the problem with bailouts is that so many people just don’t have the money to pay. Those who cannot afford bail go to prison before they are even convicted of a crime while they wait for their day in court. This is not congruent with the constitutional right of presumption of innocence. When the criminal system is backlogged, as it often is in poverty-stricken areas, the person accused can be stuck in prison for years, even if the accusation is minor.
It’s easy to dehumanize the people stuck in this broken system, but this is humanity at its worst. So many prisons are severely abusive and rely heavily on solitary confinement as a form of punishment or even as a protective method. The effects of solitary confinement can include severe mental trauma, even suicide. Prison is not effective in rehabilitating people, and many pretrial inmates don’t even need to be rehabilitated. We also must think about the trickle-down effect this has on future generations. Often times the people being unjustly locked up are parents. Mothers and fathers are being ripped away from their families, losing their jobs because of the lengthy wait for a trial OR they are coerced into accepting a plea deal for a crime they did not commit, leaving them labeled a convict forever. This system is having a destructive impact on our future as a whole, and it disproportionately affects Black and Brown people. People of Color are not and never have been set up for success in our country.
The Bail Project is raising money for those who cannot afford to pay AND collecting data to help prove that our pretrial system must be reformed. They have been collecting data for the past 13 years and what they have found is: People show up for their court date even when it’s not their money in jeopardy. And, charges are often dropped when the accused is able to present their case outside of prison. The Bail Project has already been successful in keeping thousands of people out of jail who don’t belong there. Here is an outline of a framework reimagining pretrial justice. https://bailproject.org/after-cash-bail/
I believe a lot of racism starts from the wealth gap between black and white people. As a person born into a white privileged family, I cannot ignore the fact that much of my success in life has been tee’d up with opportunities since the day I was born 40 years ago. I am lucky…. but the fact I was born into a white family does not make me any better than those who were not. Please join me in fixing this curse one our history and society.
Presently, I’m doing everything I can to fill the gaps of the incomplete history I was taught in school. Only now am I truly able to understand the implications behind policies implemented in my lifetime by both political parties; I’m taking the steps to let go of my own implicit bias and racism. I’ve come to the conclusion that I cannot be defensive when someone holds me accountable if my racism rears its ugly head. We are all racist. We can’t change the past, but we can reflect and do better in the future.
Why is The Bail Project important? Setting a bail was designed to give people incentive to show up for their court date. But the problem with bailouts is that so many people just don’t have the money to pay. Those who cannot afford bail go to prison before they are even convicted of a crime while they wait for their day in court. This is not congruent with the constitutional right of presumption of innocence. When the criminal system is backlogged, as it often is in poverty-stricken areas, the person accused can be stuck in prison for years, even if the accusation is minor.
It’s easy to dehumanize the people stuck in this broken system, but this is humanity at its worst. So many prisons are severely abusive and rely heavily on solitary confinement as a form of punishment or even as a protective method. The effects of solitary confinement can include severe mental trauma, even suicide. Prison is not effective in rehabilitating people, and many pretrial inmates don’t even need to be rehabilitated. We also must think about the trickle-down effect this has on future generations. Often times the people being unjustly locked up are parents. Mothers and fathers are being ripped away from their families, losing their jobs because of the lengthy wait for a trial OR they are coerced into accepting a plea deal for a crime they did not commit, leaving them labeled a convict forever. This system is having a destructive impact on our future as a whole, and it disproportionately affects Black and Brown people. People of Color are not and never have been set up for success in our country.
The Bail Project is raising money for those who cannot afford to pay AND collecting data to help prove that our pretrial system must be reformed. They have been collecting data for the past 13 years and what they have found is: People show up for their court date even when it’s not their money in jeopardy. And, charges are often dropped when the accused is able to present their case outside of prison. The Bail Project has already been successful in keeping thousands of people out of jail who don’t belong there. Here is an outline of a framework reimagining pretrial justice. https://bailproject.org/after-cash-bail/
I believe a lot of racism starts from the wealth gap between black and white people. As a person born into a white privileged family, I cannot ignore the fact that much of my success in life has been tee’d up with opportunities since the day I was born 40 years ago. I am lucky…. but the fact I was born into a white family does not make me any better than those who were not. Please join me in fixing this curse one our history and society.
Organizer
Justine Sands
Organizer
Seattle, WA
The Bail Project
Beneficiary