The Bail Trap: American Ransom." Our series aims to explore the complicated money bail system head on-- one of the main feeders of mass incarceration. The reality is that 70% of people in jail are there for one reason: living in poverty. Low-income Americans are sitting in jails for days, months, and even years simply because they can’t afford to pay high bail amounts. All the while, private companies are profiting in the billions each year. This must end.