Ending the cash bail system has been a high priority for the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). For more than four years now, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II has been working with communities to end a system that he says keeps individuals behind bars awaiting trial because they can’t afford bail. Nelson has argued that the system unfairly targets people of color who can’t work to support their families while their court case is pending.
At the conclusion of the 225th General Assembly this summer in Louisville, Young Adult Advisory Delegates made a $525 donation to The Bail Project. The Louisville staff has spent a lot of time in the past year appearing before state lawmakers who are considering legislation to keep the bail system in place.
Staff at The Bail Project recently discussed the challenges and successes the Louisville office has had in the past few years.