This is Archie. On November 12, 2016, CCBF posted $5,000 to free Archie from Cook County Jail. Archie had been locked up for more than five months because he could not afford to post his bond.

Archie grew up on Chicago’s South Side and is the father of four young children. His youngest daughter was born just two weeks prior to Archie’s arrest. Prior to being arrested, Archie was the sole financial provider for his family. Being incarcerated because he couldn’t pay bond also meant Archie was unable to continue supporting his family. As a result, they lost their apartment in Chicago. Facing homelessness, Archie’s wife took their two youngest kids and went to live with a friend out-of-state. She then got a job at a Dairy Queen to make money and support their family. While she was hoping to also save money to pay Archie’s bond, it quickly became clear that it was impossible to save $5,000 while also paying their family’s housing, food, and other needed expenses.

Thanks to your support, CCBF was able to post Archie’s bond and reunite him with his family. Being out is letting Archie, his wife, and their kids rebuild their life together. Archie’s wife has returned and they are all now living together in Chicago. Archie is also able to start working again now that he is out on bond.

Thousands of people in Archie’s situation remain locked up in Cook County Jail simply because they, too, lack the money to post bond. CCBF is committed to ending the unjust practice of pretrial detention in its entirety. In the mean time, we will continue to free as many people as possible through our revolving bond fund. You can help free more people by donating to our annual fundraiser at chicagobond.org/donate