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.)

Robin Steinberg: What if we ended the injustice of bail?

What if we ended the injustice of bail?

In the U.S., half a million sleep in jail cells nightly, not convicted but can't afford bail, costing taxpayers $14B annually.

The Bail Project's model has a 96% court return rate without cash bail, debunking myths and saving funds by avoiding pre-trial jail.

With a mission to disrupt mass incarceration, The Bail Project aims to bail out 160,000 people over five years, sparking systemic change.