POSTING BAIL IN FRANKLIN & HAMSPHIRE COUNTY JAILS
For Hampden County (Ludlow or Chicopee Jail) bails, please use the Mass Bail Fund application form here.
OUR MISSION
Decarcerate Western Mass is a coalition of people and organizations that came together at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic with the purpose of supporting incarcerated folks and getting people released. We are an abolitionist group, aiming to reduce the number of people incarcerated in prisons and jails across the country (eventually to 0!), with a local focus in Western Mass.
OUR IMPACT SO FAR
Since our founding in February 2021, we've bailed out over 120 people from the Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden County Jails, all of whom were detained because they could not afford to buy back their freedom. These bails total over $100,000. Posting bail allows people to stay free while their case is being resolved and keeps them in their community and with their families. Cases in which people are not held pretrial have statistically better outcomes for defendants.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Interested in getting involved? We hold our general meeting every other Monday at 7pm. Please contact decarceratewmass@gmail.com for details. We’d love to have you join us.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates about our work and upcoming events.
“Nobody's free until everybody's free.”
— Fannie Lou Hamer