Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(WASHINGTON, DC) — The Bail Project, a national nonprofit that provides free bail assistance to thousands of low-income Americans every year, today responded to the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of HR 8205, which effectively weaponizes the federal insurance fraud statute to target charitable bail funds.
“HR 8205 does nothing to make our communities safer. Instead, it unjustly targets organizations that provide free bail assistance – including faith groups and charitable bail funds – by subjecting them to new federal criminal penalties under a poorly defined law. As a result, even more Americans could face pretrial incarceration or fall prey to the predatory bail bond industry simply because they cannot afford bail.
Charitable bail organizations serve as a critical lifeline for the millions of Americans every year who are forced to sit in jail without having been convicted of anything, simply because a judge set bail beyond their means. This bill is akin to cutting off emergency shelters during a natural disaster – punishing those who provide critical support when it’s needed most. It reinforces the two-tiered system of justice created by cash bail, where two individuals accused of the same offense can be treated differently solely based on their ability to pay for pretrial release. This erodes the presumption of innocence and contributes to overcrowded local jails, costing taxpayers nearly $14 billion a year.
We strongly condemn this harmful legislation and urge the Senate to reject it. This is a direct attack on equal justice, plain and simple.”
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