Our community members lose many days of their life sitting in both Vermont and immigration jails simply because they cannot pay bail. Help us free them.
The Vermont Freedom Fund works with inarcerated people and their families to provide the bail funds they need in order to be released.
“[T]he imposition of bail in an amount that cannot be raised by an accused, in order to obtain his incarceration, is precisely what the law forbids.” Vermont Supreme Court in State v. Pratt.
We are a volunteer run, 501(c)(3) tax-deductible fund that bails out our incarcerated community members in Vermont. Cash bail is an abuse of the criminal justice system, criminalizes poverty and has a disproportionate effect on people with no access to money. We believe that wealth should not determine who is kept in jail.
When a case is closed, the bail funds may be returned to the Vermont Freedom Fund through a complex process, enabling funds to be reused. However, we cannot count on the funds being returned for a variety of reasons. Those who benefit from the fund and stay in Vermont will be encouraged to promote the fund within their communities.