Criminal defendants who cannot afford their bail may apply to the Massachusetts Bail Fund (aka “Mass Bail”) for assistance.
This option is available to male inmates at the Hampden County House of Corrections in Ludlow and to female inmates at the Western Mass Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee.
Mass Bail accepts referrals from the 1st to the 15th of every month. Typically these referrals are made by the indigent defendant’s court-appointed attorney.
The defendant “qualifies” if (1) his bail does not exceed $1,000 or (2) his bail exceeds $1,000 but the defendant has paid the excess amount. In other words, Mass Bail assists defendants when only $1,000 is needed to secure their release.
According to the group’s website,
The Massachusetts Bail Fund is an abolitionist and non-judgmental bail fund; we do not factor charges, court history, and circumstance in posting bail.
In addition to posting bail, Mass Bail’s website states that the fund pays the $40 “bail commissioner fee” required at both the Ludlow and Chicopee facilities.
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