Hamilton County Community Bail Fund

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Do you or a loved one need help with a bond?
Call the Hamilton County Community Bail Fund Manager at 423-497-6975

Money should not be the basis for determining if a person, presumed innocent, remains in jail.

The Hamilton County Community Bail helps eligible individuals get the bail money they need, but can’t afford.

The bail fund allows our neighbors to return home to await trial.

The money for bail goes back into the fund after a court appearance in order to help free the next person.

Pretrial Detainees* in Hamilton County

Monthly Averages - FY 2022-2023

930
Pretrial individuals in our county jail:
83% of the total jail population. *
Of the 930 individuals waiting for their court date,
average 423 have misdemeanor charges.

Source: Average Cost to House Prisoners and
TN Jail Summary Reports
Learn more: Incarceration Trends and
the Hamilton County Fact Sheet

$2 M
Jail monthly budget paid by county taxpayers.

Source: Average Cost to House Prisoners
Use Vera's interactive tool to learn about the financial burden pretrial incarceration places on the county's budget.

* Excludes federal inmates
PRETRIAL DETAINEE is the "term applied to the defendant who is held prior to their trial on criminal charges
because no bail is posted or is denied a pre-trial release." Black's Law Dictionary

Our bail fund is one of 90+ National Bail Fund Network members.

Breaking the cycle of injustice one bail at a time

Robin Steinberg, The Bail Project