The Price of Freedom: Cash Bail and Pretrial Detention

Into the Mix

Ben & Jerry's and Vox Creative

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.3 • 537 Ratings

🗓️ 31 January 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When Flo was arrested in 2016, he did not expect to be wrapped into the predatory bail industry. $7,500: that was the amount the judge set for his pretrial release. “$7,500 might as well have been a million dollars to me.” As a result, Flo spent two months in jail even though he was legally innocent. Half a million Americans are in pretrial detention at any given moment, and more than 60% of them are there because they can’t afford bail. In theory, bail is supposed to be one way out of jail. So how did it become a way to trap so many people in, even when they're still legally presumed innocent? Learn more about the Pretrial Fairness Act, and support the Coalition to End Money Bond.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, I've been here for a minute. It's been a minute because I moved out of the neighborhood.
0:07.9	It feels good to be back over here again. Just being able to walk and ride my bike, let's get a peace of mind.
0:23.6	Flo is a man who lives up to his name. He took our team to his favorite place in Chicago, the 606 Walking Trail.
0:29.6	It's a green space that stretches two and a half miles east to west across the city.
0:36.6	He smiles as joggers bounce past and bikes fly by, taking it all in.
0:43.4	I put my headphones on, listen to me some good old Marvin Gay, some Sam Cook, especially.
0:53.2	I was born by the river.
0:56.0	I love that song.
1:00.0	These days, the simplest pleasures feel like luxuries.
1:05.0	Look, I'll be 60 next month.
1:08.0	I think that's a milestone. I'm glad to make it, you know. And a lot of folks say
1:16.6	that peace of mind comes with the age, but it doesn't. You can get a peace of mind at a young age.
1:23.6	It's just being at the right place within yourself, you know?
1:30.3	Being able to relax, go to work, take a walk, have a nice dinner, have a good conversation.
1:40.3	That's what peace is to me, having a good piece of mind.
1:45.0	I'm gonna tell you, the best walk I took is when I was released.
1:52.0	That walk home, man, was magical.
1:55.0	Every breath that you breathe, man, is, ah.
2:03.1	It's like a new day.
2:07.2	Peace, it's, you know, a lot of folks probably take that word for granted.
2:12.6	But when you, when you're locked up, it's taken away from you.
2:18.7	In 2016, Flo walked home after spending two years in prison.
	...

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