The multi-faith group believes that more funds should be spent on rehabilitation
Nine people who were unable to afford bail were released Thursday from Dallas’ Lew Sterrett Justice Center thanks to Faith in Texas, a non-profit multi-faith organization, using $100,000 from its Luke 4:18 Bail Fund.
Each month the bail fund has a budget of $30,000 for bailouts in Dallas County. The organization depends highly upon donors.
Faith in Texas Executive Director Dr. Jamie Kowlessar said the organization advocates for equity, justice and equality.
“We organize congregations to get out and vote to be active, and be very, I guess, very in tune with regards to what are some of the politics that plague people,” said Kowlessar, who is also a reverend at Dallas City Temple, a Seventh-day Adventist church.
Kowlessar said the bailout started because the group noticed that jail time results in longer-term issues among those who were arrested.
“You are not only arresting that person, but you’re also arresting the family as well. So we started noticing a pattern where someone would sit in jail for two to three months, then they would lose their job and then you know, their children get turned over to the state,” he said.
Kowlessar explained that the people whom they bailed out have yet to be convicted, so while they are waiting for their court date, Faith In Texas wants to make sure they are able to have the freedom to provide for their families.
“They’ll still go to their court date, but at least they’ll get back to their lives right. They’ll get back to working, get back to taking care of their children, and get back to paying their rent, so they don’t have to lose all those things that they’ve worked so hard for,” he said.
Inequities addressed
Bail reform has become a social justice issue throughout the country as advocates say the bail system is an unfair tool used against low-income people, especially minorities.
Mark Walters, lead organizer for Luke 4:18 Bail Fund, was incarcerated multiple times himself.
“Dr. Jaime pointed it out where there was a individual of Caucasian descent who had the exact same charge as an individual of African descent, but the person of African descent’s bail was $25,000 and his was $5,000, so it’s like, you know if it’s going to be a just system, make sure it is the same across the board,” said Walters.
Several members from Dallas City Temple among other volunteers were out showing their support and speaking to those being released, making sure they had a ride and a place to go.
One of the nine people bailed out, Willy Mcnealy who’s been in the county jail since September, said he had no idea he’d be bailed out today by the organization.
“It’s overwhelming, flabbergasting,” he said. “I have a warm feeling.”
Mcnealy’s bail was set for $10,000 and his court date is on Jan 12. He said he couldn’t afford bail, so he’s stayed put since.
Robin Wilks had been in jail since around Halloween.
Wilks also only found out he was being released today.
“I didn’t believe it,” he said.
Rev. Rebecca Davis from Agape Fellowship spoke with people as they were being released.
“The first guy that I talked to, he was only 19, and he was there for aggravated assault. And I felt like wow, you know, but he was just so excited to be able to come out and be home for the holidays for his family and with his family. He’s like, ‘You have no idea how excited I am,’” Davis said.
Vickie Johnson, a volunteer and 40-year member of Dallas City Temple, said although she’s never had a close family member be incarcerated, some of her friends have.
“We believe in a penal system, but not spending money to lock people up. Use that money to rehabilitate people, instead of putting them in jail,” she said.
Making a change
Tonya Landell, one of the Faith in Texas leaders, got involved with the organization because she was stuck in Tarrant County jail for 34 days, and that made her want to learn more about bail. Landell is now being trained as a paralegal.
She got connected with Faith in Texas when a friend needed bail. She was doing research and discovered the Luke 4:18 Bail Fund. The Scripture passage encourages the faithful to help prisoners and “set the oppressed free.”
“At first I thought it was a little weird that somebody would just go up there and pay because we don’t pay a percentage like a bondsman, we pay the entire bond. And we don’t get anything in return. All we ask is that you go to court. We just want to prove that people can be rehabilitated,” she said.
Landell said excessive bail is a major issue facing the Dallas community and state.
“It’s the whole system. It’s legislation. It’s the police. It’s Washington. It’s the people and that these laws have not been rewritten since 1942,” she said.
At one point, Landell had a failure to appear bail that was $50,000. Her crime: possession of a controlled substance under a gram. She was homeless.
Walters said his faith and experiences made him want to be involved and help people overcome their pasts.
“I look at my personal story, and there was not anything like this. And so after getting involved in this I just want to be able to heal people and to show them that there’s another way to go about it and believe in that person,” he said.
Walters said the organization is currently waiting on a foundation to approve a million-dollar project which will help the bail fund grow into a larger project.
Walters said they want to provide more programs and resources to those in the criminal justice system.
“I want to be able to say when I bail you out on Friday, you have a job,” Walters said.
Walters said the goal is to expand in order to provide resources for those who need to learn skills and financial literacy.
But Walters knows the Luke 4:18 project does not address long-held issues. Greater change is needed, he said.
“We should spend more on developing people and less on incarcerating them,” he said.
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