No one should be incarcerated because they cannot post bail.
Maintaining the presumption of innocence by giving individuals the freedom and choice to contest charges.
Reducing the number of New Yorkers subjected to pretrial detention.
Supporting the overall wellbeing of clients through additional services and resources.
The Liberty Fund in the Media
Questions Over Why Layleen Polanco was Jailed Amid $500 Bail
The City | June 11, 2019
“The Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, the Bronx Freedom Fund and the City Council’s Liberty Fund were created as lifelines for low-income detainees stuck in city jails while their cases wend their way through court… The Liberty Fund, which began in 2016, uses a risk assessment tool to decide whom to bail out during night arraignments across the five boroughs.”
Why New York City Created Its Own Fund to Bail People Out of Jail
City Lab | December 1, 2017
“Since its roll-out in August, the Liberty Fund has posted bail for 79 people. Agents for the relatively new fund are still trying to get the word out about their existence: Whiteside says she used to hustle up to public defenders ‘like a cab service’ when court began and would hand them a business card while she explained what the Liberty Fund was.”
City Council Bail Fund Begins Operations
Gotham Gazette | August 18, 2017
“’No one should be shipped off to Rikers Island simply because they are too poor to post bail,’ Mark-Viverito said, in a statement to Gotham Gazette. ‘That’s why the City Council is proud to support the mission of the Liberty Fund as they conduct important work to level the playing field and reduce pre-trial incarceration rates.'”
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO POST BAIL, WE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP.