Criminal Legal System
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VICE News: Over 100 People Were Released From Jail in Mass Bail Out Effort
Tags Share In New York City, there are hundreds of women and juveniles in jail who haven’t been convicted of a crime. Most of them are imprisoned at Rikers Island and are only there because they can’t afford their bail. In an effort to directly address the injustices of cash bail, RFK Human Rights set…
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105 New York City People Freed From Jail in Bail Reform Experiment
Tags Share In October 2018, hundreds of volunteers for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights posted $1.2 million in bail to free 105 people from Rikers Island and other New York City jails. The effort was the largest mass bailout to date and served as part of a national campaign to demonstrate how cash bail not…
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Pedro Hernandez Speaks Out Against Bail System
Tags Share At 16, Pedro Hernandez was wrongfully accused of a crime but instead of going home to await his court date and prepare his case, he ended up behind bars in New York’s notorious Rikers Island jail. The judge had set his bail to $250,000, more than he would ever be able to afford,…
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Bail Reform, Which Could Save Millions of Unconvicted People from Jail, Explained
Tags Share As Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights prepares to lead the largest mass bailout in history aimed at freeing more than 100 women and teenagers from New York’s notorious Rikers Island jails, Vox took a moment to explain the history of cash bail in our country and how it works. As the reporter notes,…
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The Appeal: Common Bails Out a Stranger
Rapper and activist Common joined RFK Human Rights’ Mass Bail Out campaign, an effort to show New York City does not need Rikers and does not need cash bail.
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RFK Human Rights Announces Mass Bail Out Action of Hundreds of Incarcerated Women and Youth
The action has attracted over 200 volunteers to free women and young people in New York City who are jailed because they cannot afford to post bail.
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In Opposition to “California Money Bail Reform Act”
Tags Share As Attorney General in 1964, Robert F. Kennedy pressed Congress to pass bail reform at the federal level, stating: “Every year in this country, thousands of persons are kept in jail for weeks and even months following arrest. They are not yet proven guilty. They may be no more likely to flee than…
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Three Years After Solitary Ban, NYC Youth Remain in Solitary Confinement
Tags Share On January 12, 2015, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made an announcement prohibiting solitary confinement for all those incarcerated 21 and younger at Rikers Island. As of this year, the city has yet to completely execute the ban’s implementation. The Mayor of New York has broken a promise to our youth,…
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Statement on Senate Bail Reform Proposal in “Big Ugly” Bill S9097
Tags Share This weekend, the Senate Republicans released a “Big Ugly” bill—S9097—which includes a proposal to “reform” bail practices in New York. This proposal disregards the need for bold and sweeping bail reform that will drastically reduce pretrial detention across the state and end disparities in our jails. Nearly 70% of the 25,000 people held…
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RFK Human Rights Bails Out 16-Year-Old Rosalyn “Bird” Holmes From Adult Prison
“There is no need for a cash bail to incarcerate a 16-year-old girl pre-trial.”
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A Dollar Makes A Difference
Tags Share As a member of Robert F. Kennedy Young Leaders, I have been inspired and encouraged to take action. I joined RFK Young Leaders because I wanted to work with a group of like-minded individuals who utilize their skills and talents to create social change. RFK Young Leaders has helped me join movements like…
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RFK Human Rights to Post $100,000 Bail for Pedro Hernandez
The decision to post bail for Hernandez comes as part of a larger campaign by RFK Human Rights to reform the inefficient and unjust pre-trial detention policies in New York.
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