No One Should Be In Jail Just Because They Are Poor

Alamance Community Bail Fund

The Alamance Community Bail Fund is a joint project of We Are Down Home and Benevolence Farm, created and led by members of Down Home Alamance. We’re a revolving bond fund that raises money from people across the country to help people who can’t afford to post bond in Alamance County.

The Alamance Community Bail Fund, established in Fall 2019, is centered on the belief that everybody should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, no matter how much money they have. Under the current system of bail, you can be released pre-trial if you are rich. If you do not have the funds, you will remain in jail until your case is resolved, which can be months, if not years of waiting. This reality can result in mental health crises, lost jobs and income, and, in some cases, loss of the custody of children. 

Alamance County’s poverty rate is higher than the North Carolina state average. It’s one of the reasons that Down Home and our members organize against discriminatory pretrial incarceration based on income. Folks are more likely to win cases when they’re fighting from a place of freedom — that’s the driver behind our bail fund.

The Alamance County Bail Fund supports people in the Alamance County Detention Center by posting bail, free of charge, for amounts less than $2,000. If a bond is less than $2,000, many professional bail funds will not touch it as it’s not a profitable amount for the labor involved. 


 
Read more about the problems of cash bail here.

Can you help support the Alamance County Bail Fund?

The Bail Fund is jointly operated by We Are Down Home and Benevolence Farm. If you’re able, please contribute to help sustain the Alamance Community Bail Fund.
Need Help? Apply for the Bail Fund

Applicants who seek support from the Alamance Community Bail Fund must meet the following conditions:

  • Bail amount totaling no more than $2,000 (That is, one payment of $2000 or less must be sufficient to get the person out. We cannot do partial or split bond payments to either the magistrate or a bail bonds company.)
  • Live in Alamance County, North Carolina

You can get in touch with us directly at our Bail Fund Hotline by calling or texting (336)-684-2383

Online Fund Intake Survey