Our Mission
The mission of the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund is to end cash bail and pretrial detention in our city. Until that day, we post bail for our neighbors who cannot afford to pay.
Our Impact so Far
From May 13, 2017 to November 4, 2022, we've bailed out 816 people held in Philadelphia jails simply because they could not afford to buy back their freedom. Roughly 37% of those who we've bailed out are women and over 90% are Black and Brown people. We've posted over $6,225,507 to secure our neighbors' freedom. That translates to roughly $62 million in set bail.
Help a Loved One
PCBF is not currently accepting general referrals for bail assistance at this time and is resuming our hiatus. We will reopen in the late fall for our Holiday Youth Bail Out. We are posting bail for a limited number of emergency cases each month. You can apply for help on the Bail Requests page.
We encourage those looking to support loved ones incarcerated in a Philadelphia prison to connect with a Participatory Defense Hub. Participatory Defense Hubs are like community support groups where people facing criminal charges, those who have been through the Criminal Justice system, and volunteers trained by the Philadephia Defender Association workshop each others cases and offer court support. You can learn more at the Philadelphia Defender Association website.
We encourage those looking to support loved ones incarcerated in a Philadelphia prison to connect with a Participatory Defense Hub. Participatory Defense Hubs are like community support groups where people facing criminal charges, those who have been through the Criminal Justice system, and volunteers trained by the Philadephia Defender Association workshop each others cases and offer court support. You can learn more at the Philadelphia Defender Association website.
A Message to Our Community
Thank you for your patience and for giving us the space to grieve, heal, vision and strategize.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we received funding to build capacity to d respond to the emergency at hand. We completely redesigned how we do the work, adapting to the ever shifting landscape and doing everything we could to keep the most vulnerable people in our community safe. As you know, we spent millions of dollars freeing hundreds of our neighbors–and we couldn’t have done any of it without your support and trust. In 2021 alone you enabled us to free 172 people, post over $1.8 million in bail, and distribute $82,246 in mutual aid. You helped us free our community, build a jail support system run by impacted organizers, provide rent and rapid rehousing for those coming home, and so much more - we are so grateful for your support.
Now that we’ve intentionally taken the time to slow down and reflect, we have made some collective decisions about how to move forward to achieve our mission and vision. We are choosing to devote much of our energy this year to building a sustainable staff structure that will provide organizers a place to create meaningful change for the future and to create a strategic plan for PCBF.
We will continue to bail people out for a few major bailouts each year, such as Black Mama's Bail Out and our annual Youth Holiday Bail Out. Unfortunately, this means we will not be posting bail throughout the year as we have in years past. We are deeply saddened that we are no longer in a position to support families with bail year round.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we received funding to build capacity to d respond to the emergency at hand. We completely redesigned how we do the work, adapting to the ever shifting landscape and doing everything we could to keep the most vulnerable people in our community safe. As you know, we spent millions of dollars freeing hundreds of our neighbors–and we couldn’t have done any of it without your support and trust. In 2021 alone you enabled us to free 172 people, post over $1.8 million in bail, and distribute $82,246 in mutual aid. You helped us free our community, build a jail support system run by impacted organizers, provide rent and rapid rehousing for those coming home, and so much more - we are so grateful for your support.
Now that we’ve intentionally taken the time to slow down and reflect, we have made some collective decisions about how to move forward to achieve our mission and vision. We are choosing to devote much of our energy this year to building a sustainable staff structure that will provide organizers a place to create meaningful change for the future and to create a strategic plan for PCBF.
We will continue to bail people out for a few major bailouts each year, such as Black Mama's Bail Out and our annual Youth Holiday Bail Out. Unfortunately, this means we will not be posting bail throughout the year as we have in years past. We are deeply saddened that we are no longer in a position to support families with bail year round.
GALLERY
Philadelphia Community Bail Fund
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