This investigative feature in Jacobin examines how the for-profit bail industry is driving federal efforts to restrict charitable bail funds. The article details lobbying by the American Bail Coalition, which represents billion-dollar commercial bail insurers, and describes how proposed legislation could limit nonprofit bail operations. It frames the commercial bail system as reinforcing a “two-tiered” approach to pretrial justice, while presenting bail funds as an alternative model. The piece includes perspective from The Bail Project’s Director of Communications, Jeremy Cherson, who discusses how the growth of charitable bail funds has reshaped the landscape of pretrial reform.
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