Chicago Community Jail Support
Volunteer mutual aid network supporting those recently released from Cook County Jail.

Contribute
Become a financial contributor.
$5 Monthly Backer
Support those released from Cook County Jail and their loved ones with a recurring donation Read more
$82.26 USD of $200 USD / month raised (41%)
$5 USD / month
$10 Monthly Backer
Support those released from Cook County Jail and their loved ones with a recurring donation Read more
$0.00 USD of $200 USD / month raised (0%)
$10 USD / month
$20 Monthly Backer
Support those released from Cook County Jail and their loved ones with a recurring donation. Read more
$170 USD of $200 USD / month raised (85%)
$20 USD / month
$50 Monthly Backer
Support those released from Cook County Jail and their loved ones with a recurring donation Read more
$105 USD of $200 USD / month raised (53%)
$50 USD / month
$100 Monthly Backer
Join us for $100.00 per month and support us Read more
$0.00 USD of $200 USD / month raised (0%)
$100 USD / month
Chicago Community Jail Support is all of us
Our contributors 182
Thank you for supporting Chicago Community Jail Support.
Donald Lyons
Hi, I'm Don! I've been a CCJS volunteer since June 2020 and usually help drive people home. I help run this OpenCollective!
Elizabeth
Hideout Inn, ...
Total contributions
$2,165 USD
Lauren Dixon
Total contributions
$500 USD
Julie B
Total contributions
$300 USD

Budget
Transparent and open finances.
Financial contribution to Chicago Community Jail Support
from Guest •
Monthly financial contribution to Chicago Community Jail ...
from Guest •
Financial contribution to Chicago Community Jail Support
from Dann McKeegan •
$2,354.55 USD
$22,475.68 USD
$20,121.13 USD
$27,505.66 USD

About
Most people are released from Cook County Jail with essentially nothing but the clothes they were arrested in. What would you do if you found yourself on the street without a phone, money, or any of your belongings? How would you get home? How would you contact a loved one? Cook County Jail is legally bound to provide bus cards and phone calls to those being released, but all too often, those basic allowances are not made. These discrepancies can be more than inconvenient and demeaning, they can be dangerous. That's where we come in.
- We are abolitionists, drawing from the knowledge and experiences of generations of Black organizers, and we acknowledge that we did not create mutual aid or jail support work.
- We do not collaborate, collude with, or otherwise support law enforcement in any form.
- We understand that jail support is a temporary intervention aiming to reduce harm created by Cook County Jail and the entire carceral system. We believe it is crucial to abolish the prison-industrial complex along with all forms of policing.
- We know that Cook County Jail, the prison-industrial complex, and law enforcement do not keep individuals or communities safe.
- We believe mutual aid to be inherently collaborative, relationship-based, and community-oriented.
- We believe in Black, Brown, and Indigenous self-determination.
- We believe in fostering a culture of learning, growth, accountability, personal boundaries, & transformative and healing justice.
- We commit to being mindful of power structures and centering marginalized voices as we navigate our interactions
Our team
Donald Lyons
Hi, I'm Don! I've been a CCJS volunteer since June 2020 and usually help drive people home. I help run this OpenCollective!
Elizabeth

Connect
Let’s get the ball rolling!
News from Chicago Community Jail Support
Updates on our activities and progress.
Help Us Sustain The Work!
We purchased a van!
Winter Wheels
Conversations
Let’s get the discussion going! This is a space for the community to converse, ask questions, say thank you, and get things done together.
My contribution is in the name of my friend Kathy White
Published on December 16, 2020 by William Patrick Smith
Happy to contribute in honor my friend's birthday. Thanks for the great work CCJ! Bill Smith