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Thank you for your support. Your donation helps JOTF to eliminate educational and employment barriers for low-wage workers by transforming the systems and policies that create and perpetuate those barriers. Together, we are making a difference.

JOTF Community Bail Fund

In our continued effort to decriminalize poverty in Maryland, the Job Opportunities Task Force established the Community Bail Fund as a means to reduce the local pretrial population by posting bails for individuals currently incarcerated due to unaffordable bails.

Despite recent landmark reforms to state pretrial policies and practices that limit the use of cash bail in pretrial decisions, state and local pretrial systems continue to provide a clear advantage to individuals who have easy access to monetary resources, and a distinct disadvantage to those who do not.  Marylanders of low-risk and limited financial means languish in jail as individuals able to secure financial resources who may present a serious danger to public safety walk free. As a result, Maryland’s current pretrial system wastes state and local resources and overwhelmingly discriminates against Black and Brown persons who are disproportionately poor and economically disadvantaged.

It is well established that detention centers, jails, and prisons are hotbeds for virus transmission. While Maryland reports far lower deaths than many other states, six (6) people have since died in state correctional facilities as a result of the coronavirus, and Maryland is one of 14 states not regularly reporting rates of testing in prisons.  Indeed, it is imperative that our incarcerated populations are dramatically reduced as safely and quickly as possible.

Your donation will:

  • Ensure the release of individuals incarcerated due to an unaffordable cash bail
  • Cover the costs of supports that include transportation when released from incarceration and to ensure court appearance, care packages to support immediate hygienic needs, clothing, $25 gift cards, and other resources as needed to facilitate their successful reentry.

JOTF Sponsor Partner

Interested in becoming a JOTF Sponsor Partner? Here’s how your sponsorship supports JOTF’s work on behalf of low-wage workers:
  • $30 covers the court filing fee for criminal record expungement in Maryland
  • $100 secures supplies for our all-night community resource clinics
  • $225 provides driver’s education for BetterU participants
  • $250 provides a full, brand new set of industry-approved starter tools for a BetterU graduate
  • $275 provides OSHA/First Aid/CPR/Flagger certification for one (1) BetterU participant
  • $500 could provide a cash bail to an individual through JOTF’s Community Bail Fund
  • $1,000 for emergency legal services support to a Marylander worker criminalized as a result of their poverty
  • $3,500 to sponsor a BetterU Secured Loan*
  • $5,000 provides pretrial wrap-around services, including transportation costs to and from pretrial meetings and court, courtroom attire and lodging where needed to one of our bail fund recipients.
*In an effort to align access to both capital and transportation for our program participants, each BetterU graduate is eligible for a JOTF-secured loan for up to $3,500 that can be used toward a car purchase or housing assistance. The graduate receives financial case management supports to ensure timely loan payments and to increase their financial literacy as they chart their path towards economic stability and security.