On October 1, 2018, grassroots organizations from around New York (The Vera Institute for Justice, The Bail Project, JustLeadership USA, Vocal New York, the Katal Center), who had been leading justice reform work for years and advocating for the rights of the incarcerated, teamed up with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for human rights to stage the largest bail out action for women and youth in U.S. history. This action, the Mass Bail Out, seeks to free 400 women and 50 youth who are currently held on Rikers Island and surrounding New York City jail facilities. These individuals have not been convicted of a crime. They are held only because they cannot pay their bail. Organizers of this action work with defenders and social workers to cement successful re-entry plans for clients. They have recruited over 700 volunteers to go pay the bails of these individuals and have set up welcome centers to help returning citizens transition.
You can donate here.
The Mass Bail Out welcome centers are also seeking food donations. Please use this Google Form if you are interested in providing a hot meal or asking business in your community join this effort.
Rikers, the Harm of Cash Bail, and the NYC Mass Bail Out
October 17, 2018 12:10pm
Join the CCCCT, the Columbia Justice Lab, the Columbia Center for Justice, and the Justice in Education Initiative on October 17th from 12:10 to 1:10 for a panel discussion about the unconvicted pre-trial population held on Rikers Island, the wealth-based system of incarceration that cash bail creates, and the October 2018 Mass Bail Out action happening right now in our city, spearheaded by grassroots justice reform groups and the RFK Center for Human Rights. This event will feature panelists working on all sides of this issue: organizers and leaders, formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, and scholars.
This will be an opportunity for you to ask questions and get involved.
Read the Amicus brief from professors of social science in support of Kenneth Humphrey here.
Read the Amicus brief from Professors Lara Bazelon, Sandra Mayson, and Columbia Law School's Kellen Funk in support of Kenneth Humphrey here.
Columbia Law School, 435 W. 116th St. New York
Jerome Greene Hall, Room 106
12:10-1:10pm
Lunch will be served.
If you are interested in attending, please contact Ghislaine Pages at [email protected]
