Being unable to pay bail, and thus staying in jail longer before trial, means that defendants who cannot afford bail may have issues with managing or keeping employment, childcare, housing, or mounting an effective defense in their case, leading to poorer case outcomes.
[2] The Vera Institute of Justice found that in 2013 in New York, 54% of inmates who remained in jail until their cases were disposed could not afford their bail of $2500 or less.
[7] The history of bail funds dates back to the 1920s when the American Civil Liberties Union set up a bail fund to release people arrested under harsh Department of Justice policies against people suspected of sedition during the First Red Scare.
[8] Bail funds also supported people fighting against segregation and other racist laws in the Jim Crow South during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
[10][11] During the George Floyd protests of 2020, bail funds mobilized millions of dollars to free protestors and community members.