July 2026 - The Bail Project

Donate to reunite a family today.

A family like Sandra’s. Read her story below.

Donate to bring someone home today.

Someone like Robert. Read his story below.

Donate to pay someone’s bail today.

Someone like Michael. Read his story below.

Donate to pay someone’s bail today.

Someone like Ashley. Read her story below.

Donate to bring someone home today.

Someone like Sherry. Read her story below.

War on Drugs op ed

COMMENTARY POLICY

Inquest: How the War on Drugs Packed Jails

Fifty-five years later, the impact of the War on Drugs continues to be felt in how it dramatically expanded the use of pretrial detention and money bail.

Nicole Zayas ManzanoJuly 23, 2026

The cash bail system upended Thomas's life

CLIENT STORIES

From Dispute to Detention: How the Cash Bail System Can Rewrite a Life

A routine workplace dispute jailed a truck driver for 17 days and revealed how quickly the cash bail system turns conflict into punishment.

The Bail ProjectJuly 22, 2026

New York Times letter to the editor about the prosecution of abortions

COMMENTARY

The New York Times: Abortion Prosecutions

The push to prosecute women for obtaining abortions will punish everyday people living paycheck to paycheck by trapping them in America’s dysfunctional cash bail system.

Devin McMahonJuly 14, 2026

The California state Supreme Court

LEARN

The Kowalczyk Ruling Is a Warning to Courts: Bail Cannot Be Used to Detain People by Default

After $75,000 bail over a $7 cheeseburger, California’s Supreme Court ruled that courts cannot jail people with unaffordable bail.

The Bail ProjectJuly 9, 2026

The feature image for a story about how cash bail works

CLIENT STORIES

Taylor Could Go Home — But Only If She Had $2,500. That’s How Cash Bail Works.

A $2,500 bail turned a minor arrest into a two-week nightmare for Taylor.

The Bail ProjectJuly 7, 2026

In America, you shouldn't be in jail because you're poor

COMMENTARY

In These Times: No One Should Be in Jail Because They’re Poor

On America’s 250th anniversary, we must confront the issues of bail, democracy and the unfinished promise of democracy.

Jeremy ChersonJuly 2, 2026