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The fund posted $15,000 for the release of registered Level 3 sex offender Shawn McClinton who is facing aggravated rape, kidnapping, strangulation, and other new charges, according to Boston.com. McClinton is homeless in Roxbury, according to the registry. He was convicted of rape in 1994 and 2007.
In a statement defending the decision, the Massachusetts Bail Fund called the bail system racist and said it targets the poor.
“We will continue to post bail as we are able, ensuring that freedom is not just for the wealthy and that presumption of innocence is preserved,” the charity said in a statement posted Wednesday, Aug. 12.
The Massachusetts Bail Fund, like many similar charities across the nation, uses donations to save people, who are presumed innocent until proven guilty, from waiting in jail cells for trials.
Before the killing of George Floyd, the fund capped bail payments at $500. Since Floyd’s death and the civil unrest that’s followed, donations have greatly increased to bail charities. In the last several weeks, the Massachusetts Bail Fund has paid about $85,000 to bail out a man facing attempted murder charges and has paid tens of thousands of dollars for the release of others, including a man accused of robbing five women and another facing three counts of child rape, the Boston Globe reported.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called McClinton’s release “dangerous and irresponsible.” She said her office will look into how the bail fund is spending its donations.
The Massachusetts Bail Fund is defending its decision to free McClinton, noting that less than 7 percent of people released pretrial are later arraigned on new criminal charges while waiting for trial.
“We will continue to work toward abolishing pretrial detention alongside fellow abolitionists who are leading community organizing to end cycles of harm and poverty and create processes for healing and well-being.”
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