Money bail is one of the main causes of mass incarceration in the United States. Yet, most Americans know very little about it. Brave New Films has produced this series – The Bail Trap: American Ransom – to change that.
The money bail system is broken. Private companies make exorbitant profits by scavenging off of communities (primarily of color) living in poverty. Low-income Americans sit in jail for days, months, and even years for minor infractions simply because they can’t afford to pay high bond amounts. The reality is that 70% of Americans are in jail for one simple reason – being too poor. This needs to change.
Watch our Bail Trap series – Breaking Down Bail, Tai’s Story, Deal with the Devil, and How Much Is Your Freedom Worth? – to see how our bail system affects everyday people, even when they haven’t been convicted of a crime. New Jersey's Money Bail Overhaul: A Success Story covers New Jersey’s historic money bail reform.
Total run time for the series - 39:09
Click on the films below to watch or download for free.