WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — After helping hundreds post bond, a nationwide nonprofit is saying goodbye to Arkansas.
"I think they've made a big difference in the lives of a lot of people who weren't able to have the cash to post bond," said Beth Coger, Washington County District 9 Justice of the Peace and member of the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition.
Coger says since 2019, The Bail Project, a New York based nonprofit, has helped 600 people in Washington and Benton counties post bond of up to $10,000.
"Over that period of time, those 600 people returned to 92% of their court dates with no money on the line," said The Bail Project Director of Communications Jeremy Cherson. "And so that to us, is success."
Churson says it makes the argument that cash bail shouldn't exist and that there can be an effective pretrial solution. "We connect them to voluntary supportive services like court notifications, travel assistance and referrals to various supportive services like behavioral health treatments like substance abuse treatment or mental health treatments," Churson said.
The Bail Project is current prepping to end its work in Arkansas, which Churson says is working out how it's supposed to. "We're built not to last - it's never meant to be a permanent solution. It's really meant as a kind of demonstration of the fact that people can succeed pretrial without having to pay bail themselves."
"They've been a real asset to our community and to the people in our community," Coger said.
Before The Bail Project makes its exit, the non-profit says it is already working with local non-profits, like the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, to fill the gap.
"We also need a mental health court," Coger said. "There's been talk of getting a mental health court in Washington County."
Both Benton and Washington counties applied for a grant for mental health courts.
"This particular grant would be for three years, we would get $100,000 for the first year as part of the implementation," said Benton County Specialty Court Coordinator Michelle Barrett. "Then for the next two years, we would get $225,000 per year."
Barrett says this grant will them give time to find long-term sustainability.
Both counties are awaiting approval on its grants
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