How Participatory Grantmaking Supports a Community-Driven Vision of Safety
It is not unusual for me to spend my Saturday mornings at a regional jail. I volunteer with a community bail fund and my primary role is posting bonds for the organization’s clients. On one particular Saturday, I was sitting in the car waiting for a client to be released from jail so I could give him a ride to his temporary housing. I waited 30 minutes, which turned into an hour, and then two. When the client was finally released, he had the biggest smile on his face. He was free, and excited to see his family after being incarcerated on a probation violation. Despite having committed no new serious criminal offense, he had been jailed and his time away would likely cause him to lose his employment, benefits, and housing. During our ride, he shared, in detail, the exact supports he needed for himself and his family. That list did not include incarceration or more policing, but that was all the criminal legal system was offering him.
