Learn about the DC’s bail system and why Congressional attempts to force cash bail on DC would hurt residents. Check out the YouTube recording of our recent virtual learning session with our partners at @TzedekDC , who provide policy expertise and legal services to assist DC residents with low incomes dealing with abusive debt collection practices and other consumer issues.
Current legislation in Congress (HR 5214/S 2706) would impose cash bail on DC, when we’ve been successfully operating without it since the early ‘90s. Roughly 90% of people released pretrial in DC, without cash bail, show up for their court case and are not rearrested, with less than 1% arrested for violence while released. Link in bio!
#EndCashBail #DCHomeRule #DCStatehood #PretrialJustice PublicSafety
Through our Financial Empowerment Programs, we’ve seen firsthand how financial education can change lives. @wtopnews recently featured our founder, Ariel Levinson-Waldman, and 2025 FEP graduate, Yewoinhareg Kebede, on the proposal to make financial literacy a DC graduation requirement. Listen:
Thank you to @christinahendersondc for your Committee leadership on the Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act to reform DC’s medical debt system, and to you and @cmcharlesallen@zacharyforward5@brianneknadeau for the support of all Committee on Health members voting! This bill follows many key recommendations in Tzedek DC's More Than a Band-Aid report. We look forward to working with the full Council to make this bill into meaningful change in the physical and financial health for DC residents!
Happy #ArabAmericanHeritageMonth! This April, we celebrate the vibrant traditions, history, and culture that Arab Americans bring to the U.S. Let’s take this month to learn, amplify, and uplift the voices within our community.
Save the Date: Mark your calendars for September 14, 2026, to join Tzedek DC for an evening of fun, fundraising, and justice! Stay tuned for more details and information on how to get tickets or sponsor our annual Eat Well, Do Justice!® event!
Shout-out to the terrific moderating last month at this economic justice discussion by @howardlawschool Professor and Tzedek DC Advisory Council member Matt Bruckner, the invigorating discussion with panel participants, and the good energy from the students.
The theme of this year's #WomensHistoryMonth is Leading the Change. We honor all of the women who help shape a sustainable future for us all, particularly those joining us in advocating for justice. #WHM2026
For more than three decades, Washington, DC has operated without cash bail.
People are not jailed pretrial because they cannot pay. Decisions about pretrial release are based on public safety and risk, not the size of someone’s bank account.
Now Congress is attempting to force cash bail on the District, with HR 5214 and S 2706.
DC’s current pretrial system works. Judges determine whether someone should be detained based on whether they pose a danger to the community, not whether they can afford to buy their freedom. That approach has made DC’s pretrial system one of the most effective in the country.
Reintroducing cash bail would move DC backward.
Cash bail would increase racial disparities, waste taxpayer dollars on unnecessary incarceration, and destabilize families and local economies. Pretrial detention has life-altering consequences. People can lose jobs, housing, and custody of their children before they have even had their day in court.
A new report from Tzedek DC explains why forcing cash bail on the District would harm DC residents. Our system already prioritizes safety and fairness.
Congress should not dismantle what works. DC’s pretrial detention policy could be better, but cash bail would make it worse.
Learn more through the resources in our bio and at our virtual lunch and learn on March 27 at noon.
#DCJusticeLab #EndCashBail #DCHomeRule #DCStatehood #PretrialJustice JusticeReform PublicSafety
Thank you @bankindustrial for leading wonderful workshops last week for our Financial Empowerment Program! We appreciate your ongoing partnership and support.
Tzedek DC was honored to attend an event organized by @gwlawdc , where our Director spoke with the Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) and discussed public interest law with @matt_nosanchuk , who leads GW Law's Public Interest and Public Service Law Center.
Thank you to @tzedekdc for partnering with Turning the Page to lead an informative workshop for Kelly Miller families around financial literacy! Parents received practical tools and resources for creating a spending plan as well free financial education books (for both adults and teens) to set them up for success.
Tzedek DC offers a free Financial Empowerment Program, which is an eight-week program for DC residents that includes financial/credit counseling, eight two-hour financial education workshops, $100 in investment seed funding, and a free meal provided at each in-person session. To learn more, visit tzedekdc.org/empowerment
Excited to partner with @tzedekdc for this financial literacy workshop for Kelly Miller families tomorrow! Families will get to walk away with free books, tools, and strategies to become more financially empowered in their lives.
Tzedek DC offers a Financial Empowerment Program, which is a free eight-week program for DC residents that includes financial/credit counseling, eight two-hour financial education workshops, $100 in investment seed funding, and a free meal provided at each in-person session. To learn more, visit tzedekdc.org/empowerment
An additional shoutout to Ms. Robinson @cs_kellymillerms for being an amazing partner to Turning the Page and helping us create these opportunities for families!
