Jay Z is Bailing Out Dads for Father’s Day and Taking On the “Exploitative” Bail Industry

Jay Z’s production work on Time: The Kalief Browder Story illustrated the rapper/entrepreneur’s commitment to fixing social injustices in America. But, it appears as though the rap mogul is doing more than making documentaries. A day after he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Jay-Z decided to share his thoughts in Time Magazine regarding the bail industry and how it targets minorities in America.

Jay-Z began by recounting his personal history with the jail system. “If you’re from neighborhoods like the Brooklyn one I grew up in, if you’re unable to afford a private attorney, then you can be disappeared into our jail system simply because you can’t afford bail. Millions of people are separated from their families for months at a time — not because they are convicted of committing a crime, but because they are accused of committing a crime.”

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Jay Z and Beyonce Knowles attend the Costume Institute benefit gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015 in New York. (JStone / Shutterstock.com)

After explaining the story of Kalief Browder, he focused his argument directly on the heart of the issue, the bail bonds system.

“When black and brown people are over-policed and arrested and accused of crimes at higher rates than others, and then forced to pay for their freedom before they ever see trial, big bail companies prosper,” he wrote. “Every year $9 billion dollars are wasted incarcerating people who’ve not been convicted of a crime, and insurance companies, who have taken over our bail system, go to the bank.”

Jay-Z is doing more than just writing op-ed pieces, he plans on doing something about it.

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Debby Wong / Shutterstock, Inc.

“This Father’s Day, I’m supporting those same organizations to bail out fathers who can’t afford the due process our democracy promises. As a father with a growing family, it’s the least I can do, but philanthropy is not a long fix, we have to get rid of these inhumane practices altogether. We can’t fix our broken criminal justice system until we take on the exploitative bail industry.”

This news comes after Jay-Z released a TIDAL exclusive 17, a short film dedicated to fighting social injustice, and selling 33% of his music streaming company to Sprint for $45 million.