February 2024 Newsletter
Issue #84
The Cash Bail System
Around the world, over 3,000,000 people are being held in prison while they wait for a trial. Many have been detained for months, or even years, even though they have not been convicted of a crime.

Jails are typically used to detain people awaiting trial or sentencing, but in the U.S. on any given day, there are over 600,000 Americans in jails throughout the country.

Over 60% of the people in jail (an estimated 500,000 Americans) are incarcerated -- not because they have been convicted of a crime -- but simply because they can’t afford their bail or a bond.

 25% of the women in jail are there because they can’t pay bail. 

Nationally, median bail for a felony arrest is $10,000.

 Nearly 50% of Americans would not be able to pay an unexpected expense of $400.

The cash bail system is marked by racial inequity. A study of the system by Princeton economists found that the average bail amount for Black defendants is more than $7,000 higher than White defendants.

Black men and women ages 23 to 39 in local jails had median earnings between $568 and $900 the month prior to their arrest.

Defendants who are detained before trial wait an average of 68 days in jail.

It costs an average of $40,000 per year to incarcerate someone, so 68 days in jail costs taxpayers approximately $7,400 per person.

One option to get out of jail while awaiting trial is to secure a bail from a bondsman for a portion of the amount -- typically 10% of the total, plus collateral such a home or valuables. However this fee is not refundable -- even if the charges are dropped.

There are an estimated 25,000 bail bond businesses across the country.

There are 9 insurance companies that back a significant majority of the bail bond businesses and issue over $14 billion in bail bonds each year. The industry makes around $2 billion
a year.

The U.S. and the Philippines are the only 2 countries that allow companies to operate for-profit bail operations.

There are 4 states that ban for profit bail bond companies: Wisconsin , Illinois, Oregon, Kentucky, as well as the District of Columbia

Those who can’t obtain a bail bond are 90% more likely to plead guilty -- whether they are or not -- and then have a criminal record.

With a bail bond, 88% get their case dismissed or resolved without a criminal record. If a bail bond can't be afforded, just 38% of the cases are dismissed or resolved without a record.

For more on the Criminal Justice System,
More Resources
Breaking Down Bail
The first of the series, The Bail Trap: American Ransom from Brave New Films. Explains the basics and common misconceptions about bail. Watch now.

For more on the Criminal Justice System,
Deal with the Devil
A video from The Bail Trap: American Ransom series from Brave New Films. Delves into the problems with plea deals from a lawyer's perspective and from the perspective of plea deal victims. Shows that the money bail system is a motivating factor in the number of plea deals offered to those awaiting trial and argues that no one wins but the DA -- contributing to mass incarceration at the expense of those who are often already living in poverty.

For more on the Criminal Justice System,
Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network (CCJRN)
An initiative of the Lumen Christi Institute that connects legal scholars, attorneys, judges, clergy, law enforcement, people who have been impacted personally by incarceration, and others who are committed to seeing reform in the American criminal justice system. Aims to give people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system--returning citizens, victims/survivors of crime, and family members--a place to speak about their experiences and to be listened to by those with power in court rooms and classrooms. CCJRN is motivated by principles of Catholic social thought and hosts regular events and gatherings of its members for the purpose of collaboration, dialogue, and seeking solutions that transcend the partisan divide and recognize the inviolable dignity of the human person. Learn more.

For more on the Criminal Justice System,
Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity
By Michele Norris. A unique compilation of stories, essays, and photographs providing a window into America during a tumultuous era. Based on over a half million responses to the The Race Card Project over the past 12 years that asked for: Race. Your Thoughts. Six Words. Please Send. Offers an honest, if sometimes uncomfortable, conversation about race and identity, permitting readers to eavesdrop on deep-seated thoughts, private discussions, and long submerged memories. The stories are surprising in their depth and candor, spanning the full spectrum of race, ethnicity, identity, and class. Even at just six words, the micro-essays reveal, fear, pain, triumph, and sometimes humor. Other responses went beyond the six words, submitting backstories, photos, and heirlooms providing a collection much like a scrapbook of American candor rarely seen. This panorama provides a rare 360-degree view of how Americans see themselves and one another.

For more on Racism, click here.
Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World―and How You Can, Too
By Ijeoma Oluo. Looks at the current state of anti-racist activism across America and aims to show how people are working to create real positive change. Looking at many systems—like education, media, labor, health, housing, policing, and more -- highlights what people are doing to create change for intersectional racial equity. Illustrates ways in which readers can find entryways into change in these same areas, or can bring some of this important work being done elsewhere to where they live. Aims to not only be educational, but to inspire action and change. Read more.

For more on Racism, click here.
Fight for Justice —
Even if You Don't Live to See It
A TED Talk, featuring storyteller Golriz Lucina, who recounts how the historic sacrifice of Iranian 19th-century poet and mystic Táhirih planted the seeds for the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests today, offering an inspiring lesson in the value of acting with conviction — even if we don't live to see the results. Watch now.

For more on Gender Inequality, click here.
"Woman, Life, Freedom" in Iran —
and What it Means for the Rest of the World
A TED Talk, featuring actor, musician and activist Golshifteh Farahani, who offers a reflection to honor those who have fought for "Woman, Life, Freedom" following Mahsa Amini's death at the hands of Iran's religious morality police. Calling upon our shared humanity, she urges everyone to take a stand against violence inflicted on innocent people around the world. Watch now.

For more on Gender Inequality, click here.
Client Earth
An international organization with a team of over 250 people working in over 50 countries, using the power of law to bring about systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. . Priorities include: agriculture, air pollution, chemical pollution, clean energy, climate accountability, climate finance, defending habitats, the European Green Deal, fisheries and seafood, forests and communities, forests and trade, fossil fuels, greenwashing, and plastics. Learn more.

For more on the Environment, click here.
Enough Red Tape —
We Need to Say Yes to Clean Energy
A TED Talk, featuring climate innovation leader Rich Powell, who dives into the bureaucracy, bottlenecks and not-in-my-backyard attitude preventing the US from achieving its green energy goals. He warns that we need about 10,000 new clean energy projects to be built in the US this decade if we're to reach net zero by 2050. Watch now.

For more on the Environment, click here.
Sponsor Circles
A community-led initiative that supports everyday Americans in taking on the responsibility of welcoming newcomers to their communities. Enables groups of individuals in local communities to form certified Sponsor Circles to provide initial welcome and support to newcomers. The Community Sponsorship Hub oversees the process through which Sponsor Circles are vetted and certified and support newcomers seeking refuge in the U.S. The program provides critical support in ensuring that newcomers receive welcome and support such as access to application support, temporary housing credits offered through Airbnb.org, a growing suite of sponsor tools, and ongoing guidance offered by welcoming experts. Learn more.

For more on Refugees, click here.
Franciscan Peacemakers
A organization that connects women survivors of sexual exploitation to safe housing, meaningful work and a healing network of support. Works for an end to human sex trafficking through service and advocacy. Programs include: outreach ministry, housing & healing, employment and education. Also sells products such as soaps, lotions, candles, bath bombs and salt scrubs - handmade with all-natural ingredients by women working together toward individual and collective healing. Learn more.

For more on Human Trafficking, click here.
Called to Action:
NETWORK's 50 Years of Political Ministry
By Mara D. Rutten. Tells the story of a group of Roman Catholic nuns in 1971 -- inspired by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and Catholic social teaching, that called for political engagement as “a constitutive dimension of preaching the Gospel” -- who gathered in Washington, D.C. to found NETWORK. Shows how they offered an alternative vision of what it means to be church as they worked to advance the rights and dignity of all people -- occasionally running afoul of powerful political and church interests. Includes the development of the “Nuns on the Bus,” which grew from this prophetic interpretation of social teaching and models the promise of Catholic engagement for a more just world. Read more.

For more Legislative Advocacy resources,
Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee
A company that works with more than 10,000 farmers in Rwanda, in a "Collaborative Trade" arrangement, selling specialty coffee beans worldwide and supporting development initiatives in their farming communities. Along with co-laboring with farmers and paying fair wages, also works closely with the communities through 'Do Good Initiative" projects that support locally-organized development programs. Learn more.

For more on Fair Trade, click here.
Seeds of Justice Network
A collaborative of Catholic and faith-based individuals and groups, that promotes the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and social justice. Fosters communication, collaboration, education, and advocacy among individuals and parishes in the Catholic community and with other faith-based and secular groups. In a spirit of openness and mutual respect, SOJN is nonpartisan and independent, conducts its efforts in accord with the Church’s mission of social justice, and addresses local, national, and international issues. Learn more.

For more Justice resources, click here.
Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide: Lessons in Engaged Contemplation
By Adam Bucko. A collection of reflections, stories and practices from the life and experiences of Father Adam Bucko -- interreligious pioneer, monastic leader, spiritual director, and activist -- designed for people trying to live at the intersection of contemplation and justice. Written against the backdrop of the COVID 19 pandemic and America's reckoning with growing poverty, injustice and systemic racism, offers guidance on how to adopt an "engaged contemplation," a lived spirituality responsive to suffering and injustice. The book is divided into three parts: Listening to Life, Touching What Frightens Us, and Interrupting Silence. Throughout, readers are invited to draw from the author's personal experiences, alongside wisdom from mentors, scripture, and spiritual activists and mystics, such as St. Teresa of Avila, Howard Thurman, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Catherine Doherty and Thich Nhat Hanh. The book ends with a roadmap for people looking to integrate a "rule of life" in service of compassion and justice for all. Includes an appendix of contemplative practices to help readers develop discernment, courage, and receptivity to God who is always guiding towards healing and liberation.

For more Justice resources, click here.
 
Important Dates This Month
Individuals Honored This Month
February Birth Date Unknown
I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.
February 3rd
For any human being, freedom is essential, crucial to our dignity and our ability to be fully human.
February 4th
As far back as I can remember, I knew there was something wrong with our way of life when people could be mistreated because of the color of their skin.
February 4th
If I sit next to a madman as he drives a car into a group of innocent bystanders, I can’t, as a Christian, simply wait for the catastrophe, then comfort the wounded and bury the dead. No, I must try to wrestle the steering wheel out of the hands of the driver. 

February 7th
When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. But when I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.
February 11th
It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.
February 12th
The death of the forest is the end of our life.
February 23rd
What a world this will be when human possibilities are freed, when we discover each other, when the stranger is no longer the potential criminal and the certain inferior!
February 27th
There are many people ready to do what is right because in their hearts they know it is right. But they hesitate, waiting for the other person to make the make the first move - and the other person, in turn, waits for you.
Visit Our Website
Since 2017, there have been more than 400,000 visitors to the Social Justice Resource Center website. We provide a wide variety of facts and figures on specific social issues as well as thousands of free resources including films, publications, links to other organizations, prayers, quotes, principles of social justice, key dates throughout the year, action ideas, Diocesan office contact information and biographies of famous people who have worked for social justice.
To learn more, click here.
Our Newsletter
Every month we email our newsletter to over 4,000 people around the country. Each issue focuses on a social justice topic and has resources that have been recently added to our website. If you know of anyone who might be interested in receiving our newsletter,  please forward this email on to them or let us know and we'll add them to our mailing list. For our previous Newsletters,
Contact Us