Journalists invited to apply for yearlong fellowships on role of bail and fines in keeping the poor behind bars

The Center on Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College is inviting U.S.-based journalists and freelancers to apply for up to 25 reporting fellowships on the role bail and court fees and fines play in keeping the poor behind bars. According to the Center, "a large percentage of the incarcerated are behind bears because they are unable to pay bail, or to come up with accumulated fees and fines associated with both felony and non-felony convictions." This adds up to the modern equivalent of debtor's prisons, since the defendants' main crime is that they are too poor, the Center adds.

The yearlong fellowships will kick off with a symposium and workshop on March 7-8 in New York City called "Cash Register Justice." The conference will feature policymakers, researchers and practitioners with special expertise on the issue. The fellowships will include travel and accommodation for the conference and additional research assistance once the journalists return home.

The application deadline is Feb. 15. Click here for more information or to apply.