Jay Z and Roc Nation will reportedly make a $3 million investment in an app called Promise, that combats mass incarceration.
According to the website, the app 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.” The hope is that the platform will exist as an alternative to incarcerating individuals who cannot afford bail or who miss court dates by mistake. It will provide services to users that will help them log upcoming court dates, counseling appointments, and drug tests.
When it comes to rehabilitation, Promise plans to provide programs to users that assist with job training and getting information about housing.
As a rapper, Jay-Z has used his platform to consistently speak about how the jail system is designed to fail those of low class and people of colour. Last year the rapper wrote an opinion piece on Father’s Day about the exploitative bail industry. For many individuals, they are jailed due to their inability to afford bail, despite not being convicted of crimes.
During an interview with TechCrunch, Ellis-Lamkins spoke on the small infractions that lead to many people of color ending up behind bars. “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. If we’re putting people in jail because they’re poor, brown or black, we’re spending money the wrong way.”
“We are increasingly alarmed by the injustice in our criminal justice system,” Jay-Z said in a statement confirming his involvement with the app. “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.”
