The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund posts bail for residents of Philadelphia who cannot afford to pay bail, and works to bring to light the inequities of the use of cash bail in Philadelphia and to advocate for the abolition of bail and pretrial detention in our city. We know that Philly jails are filled with people who spend weeks, months, or even years incarcerated while waiting for court, simply because they do not have the money to pay for their own freedom. Pre-trial detention leads to higher rates of conviction, pressure to accept guilty pleas, longer sentences, and traumatic disruption of lives including loss of jobs, housing, mental health supports, and devastated families. By paying bail, our fund supports individuals in remaining at home with their families and communities while fighting their cases.
The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund (also known as that philly bail out jawn) is run by a collective of volunteer grassroots organizers and active members of the community, and we are committed to organizing with and for the people most directly impacted by the racist system of mass incarceration, criminalization and policing. We use a non-judgmental approach, and do not consider a person’s charges to respect an individual’s constitutional right to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.