Your Bail Story
In Ohio, thousands of people are held in city and county jails awaiting trial. None of them have been convicted of a crime, yet many find themselves unable to make cash bail and their lives are upended waiting for freedom. Ohio’s pretrial system criminalizes low income individuals, fuels an exploitative commercial bail bond industry, and does little to keep the community safe.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio is campaigning for legislative reforms to Ohio’s pretrial criminal justice system that would reduce the number of persons held in jail because they cannot afford cash bail. As part of this process we would like to hear from those impacted by the pretrial system either because they were 1) kept in jail and could not afford their release, or 2) know a person close to them forced to experience the pain and uncertainty of waiting to come home.
Remember, your stories hold power. By completing the following survey you take an active role in exposing this discriminatory and unjust system.
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Although we keep our files confidential, submitting cases via email is not a secure means of transmission. If you do not wish to submit your form via email, you may fill out the form, print it and mail it to the address below:
ACLU of Ohio
c/o Campaigns Department
4506 Chester Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44103