| Company type | 501(c)(3) organization |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 2017 |
| Founder | Robin Steinberg |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | David Gaspar (CEO) |
| Website | bailproject |
The Bail Project is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization aiming to pay bail for people who are not financially capable of doing so themselves. The Bail Project also provides pretrial services. [1] The Bail Project was founded in 2017 by Robin Steinberg. In January 2018, the organization launched its first site as a national operation. As of 2020, it has 22 locations across the United States and has helped pay bail for over 12,000 people. [2] The organization is governed by a board of directors and funded by private donations from individuals and philanthropic foundations. It publicly releases annual reports detailing its finances, operations, and impact metrics. [3]
Critics of the bail system in the United States that question the ethics of the system. The Bail Project's position is that cash bail contributes to a two-tiered justice system in the United States where those with financial resources can secure pretrial freedom while poorer defendants remain incarcerated. [4]
The Bail Project also criticizes the commercial bail industry, describing it as predatory, likening bail bonds to “predatory payday loans” that extract nonrefundable premiums and collateral from low-income families and incentivize incarceration to maintain profits. The organization supports alternatives such as court reminders and voluntary support services. [5]
Defendants are referred to The Bail Project by a public defender, and from there, they are interviewed to determine if they should receive support from the organization. [6] In addition to providing direct bail assistance and pretrial support, The Bail Project engages in policy advocacy aimed at reducing the use of cash bail and pretrial incarceration including testifying before state legislatures. [7]
The organization's work has been profiled by national outlets including The New York Times, which examined how bail funds operate and influence pretrial outcomes, [8] and NPR, which highlighted the expansion of charitable bail funds and their role in criminal justice reform. [9]
The Bail Project was founded in 2017 by Robin Steinberg, who is also the founder of The Bronx Defenders. [10] In her time as a public defender, Steinberg found that when a judge would set bail and her client did not have the money, they would often plead guilty even if they were innocent. [11] This motivated Steinberg to push The Bail Project forward as a way of challenging the cash bail system.
Robin Steinberg stepped down as CEO on March 6, 2023, and was succeeded by David Gaspar, [12] who had served as the organization’s National Director of Operations. Gaspar, who is the first formerly incarcerated person to lead the organization, began his career at The Bail Project as a bail disruptor and rose through roles including site manager and regional director before becoming CEO. [13]
According to their 2024 annual report, The Bail Project has posted $91 million in bail with the help of donations, and has helped 34,525 people since 2018. [3] The Bail Project also provides pretrial support, including making sure that clients are aware of their court dates. [6]
The Bail Project employs individuals who have been incarcerated in the past and work to help others during their difficult times.
In 2018, The Bail Project posted bail for a 33-year-old man in Los Angeles after he had been accused of robbery with bail set at $30,000. His case was dismissed with no evidence of the robbery. [14] In San Diego, the Bail Project paid bail for over 700 immigrants in 2018. [2] In April 2019, the Bail Project posted Samuel Scott's $5,000 dollar bond imposed with his charge of domestic violence. Following his return home, Scott beat his wife to death. [15] In Kentucky, the Bail Project paid the $1,500 bond for Demontez Campbell after he missed a court date and was issued a bench warrant. [16]
After the COVID-19 outbreak, The Bail Project set up a number of releases from Cook County Jail in Chicago. As of April 4, 2020, 60 inmates were projected to be released and between 500 and 1,000 were expected to be released within the following weeks. [17] [18] In Louisville, Kentucky, The Bail Project assisted with the release of Black Lives Matter protesters by posting bail. [19] In Indianapolis, The Bail Project posted the bail of 20 protestors as of June 2020, and has supported 400 people. [20] The Bail Project had a tent located in downtown Indianapolis and has provided support for over 500 people in the city. [20]
As of March 2023, The Bail Project has posted bail for about 1,000 clients in Cuyahoga County jails. [21]
In 2019, The Bail Project's St. Louis branch paid bail for Samuel Scott, who had been charged with domestic violence. After his release, Scott killed his wife. [14] Then-CEO Robin Steinberg stated that the outcome could not have been anticipated and noted that Scott would have been eligible for pretrial release had he been able to afford bail independently or through a commercial bond service. [22]
In 2020, the organization paid $5,000 bail for Christopher Stewart, who had been charged with illegally possessing a handgun and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. One month later, Stewart attempted to kill the same individual by setting her apartment on fire. In an interview, the victim criticized the organization’s decision to post his bail. [23]
In January 2021, The Bail Project posted bail for Travis Lang, who was facing charges including cocaine possession, breaking and entering, resisting arrest, and burglary. Later that year, in October 2021, Lang fatally shot Dylan McGinnis. [24] The organization stated that it was not directly responsible for Lang’s release at the time of the homicide, noting that ten months and two subsequent bonds separated its involvement from the incident. [25] [26]
The Bail Project also paid bail for Marcus Garvin, who had been charged with battery after stabbing a convenience-store customer. After his release, Garvin was charged with killing and dismembering his girlfriend. David Gaspar, then the organization’s National Director of Operations, described the case as a rare and tragic event and stated that individual behavior cannot be reliably predicted. [27]
In another case, the organization paid $3,000 bail for Rawshawn Gaston-Anderson, who had been arrested on burglary and theft charges. Within a week of his release, Gaston-Anderson shot waiter Chengyan Wang eleven times; Wang survived and later filed a lawsuit alleging insufficient due diligence. The Bail Project subsequently closed its Las Vegas chapter due to restructuring [28] and the lawsuit was later dismissed, with the court ruling that the organization could not reasonably have foreseen the crime. [29]