Defendants must complete approx. 200 discrete tasks during their legal proceeding
73% of County Public Defenders offices exceed federal recommendations for cases per lawyer
Black defendants in Cuyahoga County are held in jail at a rate 6.4x that of white defendants
By increasing defendant engagement and improving transparency about the legal system, unBail aims to increase court appearance rates and encourage more equitable case outcomes for defendants. As defendants engage with the system and share their experiences, we hope to learn about where the system fails defendants and how to address these failures.
"It is imperative that every defendant have a comprehensive understanding of the criminal process and how it relates to their particular case. Failure to ensure this will inevitably lead to injustice..."
“I went into my pretrial hearing with no idea what was going to happen, it all felt so rushed.”
“I have no idea what I'm being charged for and what might happen to me, I'm scared."
“I felt railroaded at every step of my case. I was locked up with no control or understanding of what was happening and why.”
“I needed a guide, my public defender was not enough. No one had time to answer my questions or consider my thoughts.”
“This is the first felony I’m facing and I can’t get a job while this case is open."
