Meet Nia

In February 2024, Nia was arrested and burdened with an unaffordable $22,000 bail. She spent 76 agonizing days in a cage, alone and forgotten. "I just thought about harming myself, I thought about like not being here, I felt like nobody loved me, nobody picked up the phone." she shared.

Too often, Black mamas and caregivers find themselves condemned to a cage with no safety net, no support, and no one coming for them.

But in May 2024—just days before Mother's Day—Andréa "Muffin" Hudson from the NC Community Bail Fund of Durham came to get Nia. "The first person I saw was my ex-fiancé," Nia recalled. "I just jumped into his arms. He said, 'Don't hug me, hug that lady.' "I looked over and gave her a big old hug. I cried in her arms. I didn't know her from a can of paint."

Thanks to the NC Community Bail Fund of Durham, Nia was home for Mother's Day. The support didn't stop at bail: "I lost everything because I needed a job, a car, and a house. Muffin would help me with a job, housing, and accessing EBT." 

Andréa "Muffin" Hudson of the NC Community Bail Fund of Durham (left)

Before her arrest, Nia had big dreams. She wanted to become a Licensed Practical Nurse, just like her mom. "I was going to school before I got locked up to get my license." After graduating, she planned on working with the elderly, who reminded her of her grandmother, whom she grew up with and loved so much.

But during her incarceration, those dreams felt further away than ever. Nia spent 23 hours a day locked in a small room with only a mat and a toilet. "Jail is not a place you want to be. You're drinking from the same toilet you're using."

The trauma of incarceration still haunts Nia. "All I want to do is work and come home. I don't want to go out or have fun. I don't even want to hear police sirens or see the police." To this day, the sound of keys jangling makes Nia anxious—it takes her right back to jail.

The mental and emotional toll of incarceration is devastating and lasting, even for those held as briefly as 24 hours. Suicide remains the leading cause of death in local jails, with rates far exceeding those of state prisons or the American population in general.

The wreckage and impact of the criminal punishment system on our people is wrenching at every turn. Our people are in cages, losing their families, jobs, cars, and their peace of mind. The longer our folks are held hostage in a cage, the harder it becomes for our people to survive outside of it. The more we continue to bail our people out, the more we can expose the grimy cash bail system and those who are profiting off of our bodies and our suffering. 

Because of your support, Nia is not only living but thriving. "I feel like I'd still be there if it weren't for you—just sitting in that cell, crying my eyes out, doing nothing."