Ideas worth spreading

What if we ended the injustice of bail?

2,735,098 views | Robin Steinberg • TED2018

On any given night, more than 450,000 people in the United States are locked up in jail simply because they don't have enough money to pay bail. The sums in question are often around $500: easy for some to pay, impossible for others. This has real human consequences -- people lose jobs, homes and lives, and it drives racial disparities in the legal system. Robin Steinberg has a bold idea to change this. In this powerful talk, she outlines the plan for The Bail Project -- an unprecedented national revolving bail fund to fight mass incarceration. (This ambitious idea is part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

On any given night, more than 450,000 people in the United States are locked up in jail simply because they don't have enough money to pay bail. The sums in question are often around $500: easy for some to pay, impossible for others. This has real human consequences -- people lose jobs, homes and lives, and it drives racial disparities in the legal system. Robin Steinberg has a bold idea to change this. In this powerful talk, she outlines the plan for The Bail Project -- an unprecedented national revolving bail fund to fight mass incarceration. (This ambitious idea is part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Donate to The Bail Project's revolving fund, and your gift will go directly to paying someone's bail.

About the speaker

Robin Steinberg

Robin Steinberg

Public defender, activist

See speaker profile

Robin Steinberg is the CEO of The Bail Project, an organization designed to combat mass incarceration in the United States by disrupting the money bail system -- one person at a time. As she says: "I hate injustice and simply can't sit still when I see it."

Nick Pinto | New York Times Magazine, 2015 | Article

"The Bail Trap"

A powerful story that shows how bail decisions, often made hastily with little information, cascade to affect real lives. It also points to a startling fact: "In most jurisdictions, bail is the grease that keeps the gears of the overburdened system turning."

Bernadette Rabuy and Daniel Kopf | Prison Policy Initiative, 2016 | Article

"Detaining the Poor: How Money Bail Perpetuates an Endless Cycle of Jail Time"

A study that breaks down why the population of U.S. jails is growing — while the number of people convicted of crimes has stayed flat, the number of people held because they can’t afford bail has skyrocketed. Includes a section on why women are disproportionately affected.

Bryce Covert | The Nation, 2017 | Article

"America is Waking Up to the Injustice of Cash Bail"

An article that dives further into the injustice of the cash bail system, looking at how bondsmen benefit from those in tough circumstances — and how, in cities like New Orleans, a small percentage of every bail bond contracted is kicked back to courts, sheriffs and district attorneys.

Traci Schlesinger | Justice Quarterly, 2005 | Article

"Racial and Ethnic Disparity in Pretrial Criminal Processing"

A classic study that shows how stereotypes influence criminal processing, with unthinkably unfair outcomes for Black and Latino defendants.

Variable | Vimeo, 2017 | Watch

Ramel's Story: The Bail Project

Ramel Edwards is a Bronx native who fell into the bail trap when he was arrested for riding his bike on the sidewalk. His story is so powerful, it inspired this short film — and a mention in my talk. Ramel is now a bail disruptor in Queens, New York.

John Oliver | Last Week Tonight, 2015 | Watch

"On Bail"

This segment from John Oliver will somehow make you laugh about something that's just not very funny: the absurd disparities of the cash bail system.

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Donate to The Bail Project's revolving fund, and your gift will go directly to paying someone's bail.