Richmond Community Bail Fund co-founder Matthew Perry (Photo courtesy Matthew Perry)
In a conference room at Richmond Public Library’s East End Branch, 12 volunteers scribbled notes on a recent Saturday while Matthew Perry, co-founder of the nonprofit Richmond Community Bail Fund (RCBF), read a list of criminal charges to a mock defendant. The scene, which concluded a two-hour training session, offered hands-on practice for participants in Court Watch RVA, a new program run by the nonprofit.
Established in 2017, RCBF seeks to keep people facing criminal charges from having to spend unnecessary time in jail and assists clients in their subsequent pretrial obligations. So far, the organization has bailed out over 40 people who could not afford to post bond.
“People shouldn’t be locked in a cage before they receive their verdict,” Perry says. “Especially not because they can’t afford to free themselves.”
Court Watch RVA is designed to gather information on some of the less scrutinized aspects of the pretrial justice system. For example, many important aspects of a case — including bond status — are decided during the arraignment hearing, a defendant’s initial appearance before a judge. As part of this process, legal representation is discussed, charges are read and a plea is entered.
Chart source: Richmond Community Bail Fund
Court Watch RVA plans to send volunteers to observe arraignments for the purpose of using the information to educate the public and put pressure on local officials to address some of the problems in a system that disproportionately arrests, convicts and incarcerates African Americans. The RCBF cites figures stating that African Americans make up 35% of jailed inmates, though just 12.3% of the U.S. population is black.
“We position Court Watch RVA as a program in opposition to mass incarceration,” Perry says.
Of particular vexation to RCBF activists and other justice system reform advocates are costly pretrial requirements.
“If you live in Henrico, you have to pay the county [$10] a day for an ankle bracelet, even if you’re out on bond,” says Sheba Williams, executive director of the similar Nolef Turns nonprofit group. “That could be a back breaker for someone trying to raise a family.”
“A lot of people go through the justice system without representation and — maybe not realizing the particular ways the system works — make mistakes,” she says. “People will plead guilty to felonies just to get back into the real world. 'Do I lose my kids? My car? My home?' That’s what’s going through people’s minds when they are held without bond, or with a bond they can’t afford.”
For more information about volunteering or attending training sessions, visit rvabailfund.org.
