In December 2018, the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, the Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project and the Defender Association of Philadelphia came together to organize a youth bail out. We do not believe youth should be held in adult jail pretrial - and we wanted young people to be home with their families for holidays and events that happen in their life. Over several weeks, we raised $47,267 to post bail for four young people held in adult facilities in Philadelphia. The Youth Bailout is important because we brought youth home to their families instead of being locked up in a adult jail, getting treated poorly. Adult jail is no place for a kid. Also no one should be denied their freedom because they can’t afford bail. We believe the DA’s office and the judges should be considerate of families living situations because you can’t expect families with responsibilities to pay a high bail if they have to pay bills and handle things at home. Being a kid in adult jail takes a serious toll on you to be locked up in cell that’s the size of a box. You miss a lot of things like birthdays, prom, and graduation - and most importantly, time with the people you love. That’s why the youth bail was so important so young people could come to their families and enjoy every holiday and special events with their loved ones.
