This App Lets You Bail Out Black Prison Inmates with Your Spare Change

[G_j]

http://www.konbini.com/en/lifestyle/app-spare-change-bail-out-black-prison-inmates/


This App Lets You Bail Out Black Prison Inmates with Your Spare Change


It's no secret that America has a startling issue when it comes to mass incarceration. According to research published by the International Centre for Prison Studies, the number of people incarcerated in America increased from 500,000 to over 2.2 million between 1980 and 2015. Today, the United States makes up about 5% of the world’s population and holds a staggering 21% of the world’s prisoners.

Unfortunately, these statistics are even more daunting when it comes to the disproportionate amount of blacks jailed each day.

While people of color make up about 30 percent of the United States’ population, they account for 60 percent of those imprisoned. 1 in every 15 African American men is currently incarcerated in comparison to 1 in every 106 white men.

To help visualize this data, understand India is a country of 1.2 Billion people with a total of only around 380,000 prisoners. There are more African American men incarcerated in the U.S. than the total prison populations in India, Argentina, Canada, Lebanon, Japan, Germany, Finland, Israel and England, combined.

[Dreamer Tatum]

1. You dont bail inmates out of prison

You bail accused people out of jail prior to their court date.

Misleading article.

[Ms. Toad]

2. Yes. I kept looking for information on the specific problem this app might addresss -

i.e. that a disproportionate number of individuals held awaiting trial were Black individuals who could not afford bail money.

Nothing.

I suspect that it is a real problem (just as disproportionate incarceration following a trial is), but I'd have to do research to confirm that.

[Ms. Toad]

3. Here's the application's site, which explains it more accurately.

Still not much data - but it's far better than the article!