JAY-Z’s Roc Nation has announced it will be investing in Promise, an app that was created to combat mass incarceration.

Promise was created by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins and Diana Frappier to “get people out of jail and provide ongoing support and supervision to help keep them out” according to the app's website.

Promise provides law enforcement agencies an alternative to jailing people who cannot afford their bail and other court obligations. The app has those that have been arrested enter their information; it then reminds users of upcoming court dates, drug tests and counseling dates. Promise also promises to offer help with job training and housing.

The app's creators hope that it will help people avoid going to jail for missing small payments or forgetting dates.

“People are going to jail because they look at a piece of paper and misread it, or are going to jail because they can’t afford a class because they’re instead paying child support,” Ellis-Lamkins told TechCrunch. “If we’re putting people in jail because they’re poor, brown or black, we’re spending money the wrong way.”

Cash bail has been a hot topic in activism circles as of late. Southerners On New Ground (SONG) famously led a campaign to bail out black mothers on Mother’s Day 2017. Other organizations have been working to eliminate cash bail altogether.

According to Justice Policy Institute, 60 percent of the jail population on any given day is composed of people in detention awaiting the resolution of their charge. Additionally the institute found that black people ages 18 to 29, received significantly higher bail amounts compared to other races and ethnicities. These detentions often lead to job and housing loss, disruptions in medical care and a higher probability of a felony conviction.

JAY-Z released a statement confirming his company’s support of the app.

“We are increasingly alarmed by the injustice in our criminal justice system," Jay said. "Money, time and lives are wasted with the current policies. It's time for an innovative and progressive technology that offers sustainable solutions to tough problems. Promise’s team, led by Phaedra, is building an app that can help provide 'liberty and justice for all' to millions."

Promise will make its public debut on March 20 at Y Combinator's Demo Day.

promise app

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