Charlotte church raising money to help fathers spend Father's Day at home instead of jail

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A local church is trying to make sure fathers get to spend time with their children this Father’s Day and not in jail.

New Birth Charlotte’s bail-out program raises money to get fathers and mothers who have committed low-level crimes out of jail.

Pastor Horatious Harris said the program is not just a get out of jail free pass for all accused.

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"The program is to help nonviolent, first-time offenders,” Harris said.

People he said that would otherwise be behind bars on Father's Day, a day designed for families, but too often fathers, mothers, and children are in jail and headed down a path that will severely limit their ability to help their loved ones or themselves.

"All it takes is just one moment, one slip up that you can actually be behind bars,” Harris said.

Harris said when he was younger, he had brushes with the law but never went to jail.

"It could have been me,” he said.

He said the church alerted the district attorney’s office and the sheriff's department of its plans.

Harris said with the no-cash bond policy in Charlotte, some offenders can find themselves stuck in jail because they don't have enough to pay a small bond.

"There are people we have heard of that are in jail for 45 days because they didn't have $50,” Harris said.

His goal is to raise $20,000.

He said all of it will pay for bondsmen, skills training, counseling with family members and any other steps to help those who are released to stay out jail.

"Having that bridge to say, 'OK, you can come out and follow this path to success,’” Harris said.

He said none of the money will go to the church that is organizing the program.

All of it will be invested in helping people.

"Not everybody who are in jail are bad people,” Harris said.

Harris said their fundraising has gone well. Their kickoff to the program is Saturday, but he said they have already raised a third of the money needed.

Cox Media Group