On February 10, 2020 City of Asylum partnered with The ACLU-PA to screen The Bail Trap: American Ransom and a post-show talkback about the ways America’s money bail system contributes to mass incarceration and cycles of poverty. We’re rebroadcasting the film and discussion in this moment when education on the systems that contribute to racial inequality are more important than ever. The program concludes with a talkback with ACLU-PA’s legal fellow Ali Szemanski who discusses the ACLU’s Campaign for Smart Justice.

All donations for the program go directly to The Bukit Bail Fund, a coalition of individuals and organizations striving to provide support for those incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail

This screening kicks off a series of films + discussions planned in partnership with The ACLU PA.

The Bail Trap: Money bail is one of the main causes of mass incarceration in the United States. Yet, few people know what the money bail system is, let alone how it all works or why we need to do away with it. The reality is that 70% of people in jail are there for one reason: living in poverty. Low-income Americans are sitting in jails for days, months, and even years simply because they can’t afford to pay high bail amounts. All the while, private companies are profiting in the billions each year.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization dedicated to defending and expanding individual rights and personal freedoms throughout the entire state of Pennsylvania. Through advocacy, public education and litigation, our staff and volunteers work to preserve and enhance liberties grounded in the United States and Pennsylvania constitutions and civil rights laws. Among those liberties are freedoms of speech, religion and association; the right to petition the government; separation of church and state; the right to privacy; reproductive freedom; due process of law; the rights of the accused; and the right to equal treatment under the law.

The Show Must Go On(line) is made possible thanks to generous support from the Benter Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Opportunity Fund, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and an Anonymous Foundation.

The Bail Trap: American Ransom Presented by City of Asylum and the ACLU PA