Founded in 2007, The Bronx Freedom Fund was the first of its kind effort to disrupt the injustice of cash bail in New York City by posting bail for thousands of low-income New Yorkers incarcerated before trial. Through its decade-long effort to transform pretrial justice in New York, The Bronx Freedom Fund reunited thousands of families separated by bail, while pioneering the revolving bail fund model as a tool in the fight against mass incarceration and the criminalization of race and poverty.

On January 1, 2020, after more than a decade, The Bronx Freedom Fund stopped posting bails in light of long overdue reforms that ended cash bail for the majority of cases where charitable bail funds can provide assistance under state law. However, in light of subsequently enacted rollbacks, The Bronx Freedom Fund, once again stands ready to resume offering bail assistance.

The fight to decarcerate our city and ensure pretrial justice for all New Yorkers is far from over. Along with our efforts, local groups like VOCAL-NY, Citizen Action, the NY Immigrant Freedom Fund, and the Center for Community Alternatives continuing the work of decarcerating New York.

Stories from the Field 

Over the years, we had the opportunity to serve thousands of New Yorkers and see firsthand the human impact of restoring the presumption of innocence and keeping people with their families, at their jobs, and out of jail while they await trial. We were also lucky to partner with amazing organizations and artists, including StoryCorps and cartoonist Eleanor Davis, to share some of their stories. These stories remain a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the imperative to always take action in the face of injustice.

Stay Involved

Much work remains to be done to end the criminalization of race and poverty and ensure New York stays on a path to decarceration. Fortunately, New York’s grassroots movements for social justice are strong, growing by the day, and organizing for the long haul. Here some ways to stay involved:

✔  Volunteer to Court Watch 

✔ Join the Dollar Bail Brigade 

✔ Continue to spread the word! The majority of Americans have no idea that thousands of innocent people are currently sitting in jails simply because they are poor. Help spread awareness of this critical issue by sharing this TED Talk!