Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the grassroots group United Fort Worth began calling for the compassionate release of nonviolent inmates from Tarrant County Jail. When local officials ignored the pleas, Pamela Young and United Fort Worth’s Criminal Justice Action Team began raising money to bail out impoverished inmates who could not afford amounts of as little as $100. Young discussed the societal damage caused by Tarrant County’s monetary bail system and how the Tarrant County Community Bail Fund is addressing those systemic problems.
You can view all of our previous shows on our IGTV channel @FortWorthWeekly. You can read about our past reporting on monetary bail in Tarrant County.
I would love to know the success rate. What percentage of those they have bonded out…show up for their court date on time so they get the bond money back? I hope it’s 100%, but in my experience in helping similar folks out, it is not near that high.