News - The Bail Project

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

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

NEWS & STORIES

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

The New York Times: Abortion Prosecutions

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

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

The New York Times: Abortion Prosecutions

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

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

What’s Trending

NEWS & STORIES

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

The New York Times: Abortion Prosecutions

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

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

The New York Times: Abortion Prosecutions

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

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

What’s Trending

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