Boone County Community Bail Fund

GOALS OF BOONE COUNTY COMMUNITY BAIL FUND: 

• Short-term: Pay bail up to $3000 (this is a low bail, for minor charges) for Boone County residents charged in Boone County who cannot afford to pay. We serve only Boone County residents with Boone County charges. We provide a service to the community by helping people get back home and get to court on time.
• Long-term: End cash bail and make Boone County’s criminal legal system accountable to the people. Other places have eliminated cash bail with no increase in crime.  People with minor charges can be released and required to come to court as a condition of release. Judges of course can still hold people in jail if they pose a danger to the community

HOW WE DO THIS:

We are ALL VOLUNTEERS. 

• We answer phones from the jail, drive to the jail to bail people out, remind people of their hearings, and help people get to court. 
• We go to events to sell baked goods and t-shirts to raise money. Fairshake Flowers gives us a share from the sales of their beautiful bouquets. 
• We receive partial refunds from the court if one of our clients completes their case. Almost everyone does complete. 
• We also conduct research and collect data on issues affecting detainees and jail operations. We have published three op-eds in the Missourian. Recently we created our own "zine" explaining these issues for the community.
• Because we are all volunteers, our administrative costs are very low, to cover the phone line, insurance, supplies, and accounting. Your dollars almost entirely go to help low income people in Boone County. 

WHY WE DO THIS:

Over 90% of detainees in Boone County Jail have not been convicted, only charged. Many face minor charges, but cannot afford to pay even low bail or to hire a bail bond agent. But they must sit in jail for weeks or even months while their case makes its way through the system. 

The courts are supposed to incarcerate people if they are assumed to be a danger to the community, not because they are poor. In fact, the Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that bail should be set within a person's financial means. What are "means" to someone who has nothing? This is why we say that cash bail punishes poverty. In addition:

Being in jail creates a social stigma, when people assume "They must be guilty of something. They're in jail."

Some detainees have unaddressed addiction, mental health, or health challenges. Jail makes these problems worse. People with court orders for mental health evaluations may stay in jail for months because the state is slow to complete evaluations and lacks facilities for treatment. 

Being in jail may lead to loss of jobs, housing, or children.  It can be a huge setback.

About half of detainees in the Boone County Jail are Black. Yet Black people are only 10% of the county population.

Click here for a longer research paper on bail that explains why we do our work: