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Stay Informed

Sign up to receive our newsletter and stay up to date on legislation initiatives, organization news and how NCBF is working to end cash bail and mass incarceration in the PNW.

Court Watch Campaign 2022 – Results are in!

The Northwest Community Bail Fund (NCBF) started court watching in 2020. In February 2022, we initiated a 60-day Court Watch campaign in the Seattle Municipal Court to galvanize support for our larger Court Watch program. This campaign ran from February through April 2022 and was intended to provide transparency to Seattle Municipal Court...

How the Criminal Punishment System Harms the LGBTQIA+ Community

During Pride Month, we’re reflecting on how our efforts to change the criminal punishment system impact our LGBTQIA+ neighbors and loved ones. Here are some of our biggest takeaways.   There’s a long history (still active today) of police harrassing queer people, such as during the Stonewall riots of 1969. Many credit the riots with sparking...

Meaningful Action: Ways to Get Involved

Whether you read our blog, donate to the bail fund, or volunteer with us, thank you for supporting NCBF’s work to bail people out of jail and one day end pre-trial detention. There are a variety of ways to get involved and help us push for systemic change. As you come alongside us in these efforts, here are...

The Importance of Paying Bail

Getting arrested is an incredibly destabilizing and disruptive event with far reaching and long-term consequences. There is no dispute that pretrial incarceration disrupts one’s job, family life, places housing at risk, and results in trauma for the entire family, including children.  Often, those arrested haven’t had a trial yet, and are simply...

We can’t stop now: The fight for systemic change

The murder of George Floyd by four police officers in May 2020 triggered civic unrest in America at a scale not seen since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. The resulting uprisings brought renewed and increased awareness to issues with policing, courts and detention faced by people accused of crimes in the United States. To...

The Danger of the Deserving/Non-Deserving Binary

What is NCBF’s mission? We believe in the presumption of innocence and work to end pre-trial detention. We seek to disrupt the criminal legal system that targets and punishes Black and Indigenous people and people of color. We believe that impacted communities are in the best position to determine what their community members need to be free. We...

Bail 101

History of Bail Bail has its origins more than 1500 years ago in what is present day England. During that period, Anglo-Saxons shifted away from the Germanic tribal approach of physically violent retribution to a crime. This was replaced with payments (goods or money) that were paid to the victim, victim’s family or to the monarch.  Following...

Word Choice Matters

Why does word choice matter when we talk about the criminal legal system? You can use different words to describe the same thing. For example, someone who mops the school hallways and takes out the trash might be called a “janitor” or a “custodial technician.” The difference in word choice could affect how someone feels about the job, whether...

How to Support a Bill Online

Every day in Olympia, bills and legislation are debated and discussed that hold real impact on long term change in the criminal legal system.  At the bail fund, we are constantly keeping an eye on this and fighting with other organization to either stop a bill in its tracks that will be harmful or push a bill forward that can help people. To stay...

“We the People” will speak: Pack the Court

We’re asking the community to show support for two defendants at the Pierce County Courthouse on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. Pierce County Courthouse: 930 Tacoma Avenue, 2nd floor The criminal legal system in America presumes that “the People,” or the community, are represented by police, prosecutors and courts. As law professor Jocelyn...

RE-IGNITE THE FIGHT

Now more than ever we have to keep pushing for systemic change. Jump into one of our articles below to learn more and to help us Re-Ignite the Fight! A combined spring fundraiser and education campaign:

Meaningful Action: Ways to Get Involved

Meaningful Action: Ways to Get Involved

Whether you read our blog, donate to the bail fund, or volunteer with us, thank you for supporting NCBF’s work to bail people out of jail and one day end pre-trial detention. There are a variety of ways to get involved and help...

read more
The Importance of Paying Bail

The Importance of Paying Bail

Getting arrested is an incredibly destabilizing and disruptive event with far reaching and long-term consequences. There is no dispute that pretrial incarceration disrupts one’s job, family life, places housing at risk, and results in trauma for the entire family,...

read more
We can’t stop now: The fight for systemic change

We can’t stop now: The fight for systemic change

The murder of George Floyd by four police officers in May 2020 triggered civic unrest in America at a scale not seen since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. The resulting uprisings brought renewed and increased awareness to issues with policing,...

read more
Why donate to a Bail Fund?

Why donate to a Bail Fund?

Northwest Community Bail Fund has been honored and awed by the incredible amount of support that has financed our recent growth and our ability to post bail for more people than ever before. With a 600 percent increase in our funds from 2020 to 2021 we were able to...

read more

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CRIMINAL PUNISHMENT SYSTEM

The Danger of the Deserving/Non-Deserving Binary

The Danger of the Deserving/Non-Deserving Binary

What is NCBF’s mission? We believe in the presumption of innocence and work to end pre-trial detention. We seek to disrupt the criminal legal system that targets and punishes Black and Indigenous people and people of color. We believe that impacted communities are in...

read more
Bail 101

Bail 101

History of Bail Bail has its origins more than 1500 years ago in what is present day England. During that period, Anglo-Saxons shifted away from the Germanic tribal approach of physically violent retribution to a crime. This was replaced with payments (goods or money)...

read more

ADVOCACY

There are many ways to support our cause and fight for reform in the criminal legal system. Learn how to be a better advocate from analyzing the language you use to supporting bills online and everything in between.

Court Watch Campaign 2022 – Results are in!

Court Watch Campaign 2022 – Results are in!

The Northwest Community Bail Fund (NCBF) started court watching in 2020. In February 2022, we initiated a 60-day Court Watch campaign in the Seattle Municipal Court to galvanize support for our larger Court Watch program. This campaign ran from February through April...

read more
Word Choice Matters

Word Choice Matters

Why does word choice matter when we talk about the criminal legal system? You can use different words to describe the same thing. For example, someone who mops the school hallways and takes out the trash might be called a “janitor” or a “custodial technician.” The...

read more

VOTER AWARENESS

Every election we give people the power to make long lasting change in our communities and in the criminal legal system. Register to vote here: https://vote.gov/ and learn more about how to vote responsibly:

Local Elections, Real Consequences: 2021 Election Guide

Local Elections, Real Consequences: 2021 Election Guide

Last month we shared an overview of Juneteenth with a timeline of major events from the Civil War to present, and a post on two interrelated systems that propagate racism: voter suppression and mass incarceration. We encourage you to honor Juneteenth and the people...

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LEGISLATION

While posting bail is a large part of our efforts in the PNW area, we recognize that posting bail is only a temporary fix.  We are working toward long-term solutions with other local organizations and community leaders to raise awareness around the criminal punishment system and how it hurts people.

Breakdown: How Court-Ordered Fines Bury People in Debt

Breakdown: How Court-Ordered Fines Bury People in Debt

After a reform effort failed to reach the floor of the state Legislature this year, the fight continues to alleviate the burden that court-ordered fines and fees impose on indigent individuals. House Bill 1412 would have given courts discretion to eliminate all...

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Criminalizing Poverty Won’t “Solve” Homelessness

Criminalizing Poverty Won’t “Solve” Homelessness

Across the country, cities are increasingly choosing to incorporate fines and arrests as part of the “solution” to the systemic issue of homelessness. Washington is no exception—in the past year a string of measures to ban overnight camping on city property were...

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COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how broken America’s systems are, including the criminal punishment system.  From backlogged courts to dangerous situations for incarcerated people with insufficient resources and space to stay safe,  cities across the PNW and the nation struggled. Learn more about the flaws the pandemic exposed in the criminal punishment system:

Pandemic Exposes the Flaws of the Criminal Legal System

Pandemic Exposes the Flaws of the Criminal Legal System

According to the National Center for State Courts, the five most common ways courts are responding to COVID-19 are:   Restricting or ending jury trials   Restricting entrance to courthouses   Encouraging or requiring teleconferences or video conferences in lieu of...

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Want to get involved in our Court Watch Program?

NCBF facilitates programs in King County and Pierce County to monitor court activity, gather data and help inform change to protect people from an abusive system.  You can get involved today to bring Court Watch to your county or join in current efforts.

Learn More

Get in Touch. Get Involved.