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Articles by David Gaspar
El centro de Culiacán: donde todos pasan y otros desaparecen
Por Fannyfer Martínez y David Gaspar* Inés se dirigía a la universidad cuando desapareció. Era estudiante de Criminalística en la Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa; salió de su casa para entregar unos trabajos finales. No ha vuelto TV Azteca transmitirá gratis 32 partidos del Mundial 2026: México, semifinales y final Rosa Isela es su tía, pero lo ha criado como a un hijo. Su madre murió durante el parto.
Mexican governor steps aside days after US accuses him of cartel ties
FILE PHOTO: Sinaloa governor Ruben Rocha attends the inauguration of the Santa Fe bridge, in Culiacan, Mexico, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/David Gaspar/File Photo May 2 (Reuters) - The Mexican governor of Sinaloa state, Ruben Rocha, said late on Friday he would step down, days after the U.S. announced it charged him and other ruling-party officials for alleged involvement with the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, in what was a major escalation of U.S. pressure on Mexico.
Mexican governor Ruben Rocha steps down, NYT reports
FILE PHOTO: Sinaloa governor Ruben Rocha attends the inauguration of the Santa Fe bridge, in Culiacan, Mexico, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/David Gaspar/File Photo May 2 (Reuters) - Ruben Rocha, governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state, said Friday night that he would temporarily step down from his post, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
US accuses Mexican governor of alleged cartel ties, marking new front in drug war Microsoft Cares About Your Privacy
MEXICO CITY, April 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it had charged the governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state, Ruben Rocha, and other officials for their alleged involvement with the Sinaloa Cartel, in a significant escalation of U.S. anti-cartel action that is likely to increase tensions between the United States and Mexico.
Nonprofits Sit on a Gold Mine of Stories. It’s Time to Use Them.
David Gaspar (right) and Bail Project client Sie, who is using only his first name due to sensitivities involving his arrest, walk together in front of the Cook County Jail in Chicago. The Bail Project SHARE THIS STORY:
Twenty Years After Prison, I’m Fighting to Give Others Their First Chance
When I was released 20 years ago, I had nothing but a folder of legal papers and a head full of uncertainty. And yet, over the last 20 years, my life has taken a path I never could have imagined. When I reached the age of 22 years old and was arrested for the very first time, I couldn’t imagine that I would ever get a $200,000 bail I couldn’t afford. In that very moment, my freedom disappeared before my case ever had a chance to begin. As a result, I took a plea deal under pressure.
One Concrete Way to Make the Justice System Fairer
We know that bail reform works: Community safety, not personal wealth, best determines who is released and who is detained. This does not mean guaranteeing everyone’s release. It simply means allowing judges to decide each case individually, using jail as a last resort. Places that have limited or ended cash bail have broadly seen no notable increase in rates of rearrest or of defendants missing court dates.
Bail Reform Works. Don’t Fall for “Cashless Bail” Scare Tactics.
Today, hundreds of thousands of legally innocent people remain jailed not because they are dangerous, but because they are poor. When someone is arrested, a judge can require them to pay a monetary amount known as “cash bail” to be released before trial. If they can’t pay, they stay in jail. If they can, they go home. With cash bail, the system doesn’t ask, “Is this person a danger to their community?
Don't fall for Trump's scare tactics on 'cashless bail.' Bail reform works. | Opinion Original
Today, hundreds of thousands of legally innocent people remain jailed not because they are dangerous, but because they are poor. When someone is arrested, a judge can require them to pay a monetary amount known as “cash bail” to be released before trial. If they can’t pay, they stay in jail. If they can, they go home. With cash bail, the system doesn't ask, "Is this person a danger to their community?
Jeremy Cherson and David Gaspar
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Opinion | Trump Is Wrong. Ending Cash Bail Works.
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. One Concrete Way to Make the Justice System Fairer Sept. 1, 2025, 5:02 a.m. ET Credit...Ben Denzer By Jeremy Cherson and David Gaspar Mr. Cherson and Mr. Gaspar work at the Bail Project.
Costly New Bail Bills Would Needlessly Jail More People
On a recent Wednesday, as many Texans were beginning their workday, a Texas Senate committee voted to make their lives harder. The committee advanced a dangerous package of legislation that would throw legally innocent people in jail, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill. These policies pose a threat to Texans’ freedom, safety, and tax dollars, and they must be defeated. At the heart of this issue is cash bail.
Costly New Bail Bills Would Needlessly Jail More People Original
David Gaspar is chief executive officer of The Bail Project, a nonprofit that provides bail assistance. On a recent Wednesday, as many Texans were beginning their workday, a Texas Senate committee voted to make their lives harder. The committee advanced a dangerous package of legislation that would throw legally innocent people in jail, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill. These policies pose a threat to Texans’ freedom, safety, and tax dollars, and they must be defeated.
Make jail the last resort: End the incarceration of those who cannot afford bail
I spent my first Christmas in jail at 23, separated from my family and the life I knew. I was one of nearly 1.1 million Americans behind bars during the holidays that year. Hundreds of thousands of us had not been convicted of the crimes we were accused of and the majority of us were incarcerated simply because we couldn’t afford cash bail. Our criminal justice system’s primary role should be to protect public safety. But if we want to break the cycle of crime, we need to stop breaking people.
Why Mutual Aid Is Vital to Criminal Justice Reform’s Next Chapter
As political analysts continue to piece together the results of this year’s general election, an illuminating takeaway has emerged on issues related to criminal justice: Voters who cast their ballot in red states also voted in local elections for reform-minded candidates and passed progressive criminal justice ballot measures; whereas in some blue states, voters preferred candidates who promise to implement tough-on-crime policies.
Legislative Attack on Bail Funds Threatens Lifeline for Poorest Americans
A misguided piece of legislation, HR 8205, is poised to threaten vital assistance for low-income Americans who cannot afford bail, subjecting them to jail while awaiting trial, even though they are presumed innocent under the law. The legislation, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week, effectively weaponizes the federal insurance fraud statute to target organizations that provide free bail assistance – including faith groups and nonprofits like The Bail Project.
Legislative attack on bail funds threatens lifeline for poorest Americans
A misguided piece of legislation is poised to threaten vital assistance for low-income Americans who cannot afford bail, subjecting them to jail while awaiting trial, even though they are presumed innocent under the law. The legislation, which passed the House last week, effectively weaponizes the federal insurance fraud statute to target organizations that provide free bail assistance — including faith groups and nonprofits like The Bail Project.
Opinion - Legislative attack on bail funds threatens lifeline for poorest Americans
David Gaspar, opinion contributor 1 October 2024 at 1:30 pm·5-min read A misguided piece of legislation is poised to threaten vital assistance for low-income Americans who cannot afford bail, subjecting them to jail while awaiting trial, even though they are presumed innocent under the law.
A National Blueprint for Taking Money Out of Justice
This week marks one year since the Pretrial Fairness Act went into effect in Illinois, making it the first state to abolish cash bail. In the year since, people in Illinois have avoided countless time away from their jobs and families because their bank accounts no longer determine their freedom. This was a groundbreaking move to take money out of justice, and it’s time for the rest of the country to follow. When we talk about cash bail, what we’re really talking about is wealth-based detention.
A national blueprint for taking money out of justice
This week marks one year since the Pretrial Fairness Act went into effect in Illinois, making it the first state to abolish cash bail. In the year since, people in Illinois have avoided countless time away from their jobs and families because their bank accounts no longer determine their freedom. This was a groundbreaking move to take money out of justice, and it’s time for the rest of the country to follow. When we talk about cash bail, what we’re really talking about is wealth-based detention.
The Fulton County Jail Crisis Requires Cash Bail Reform
In August, a Georgia Senate subcommittee delivered recommendations to address dire conditions in Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail. But one crucial solution was absent: bail reform. The inquiry was the result of recent reports that suggest a long list of problems plague the jail, including extreme crowding, crumbling infrastructure, rampant violence, medical neglect and a deplorably high death toll within the jail.
Reflections on Ferguson: A Decade Later, the Struggle for Justice Continues
Today is the 10 year anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown by police officers in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown was 18-years-old when he died. His tragic death forced the nation towards a reckoning with the systemic violence that is ingrained within our criminal justice system, infiltrating everything from policing to bail setting practices.
Clinton’s Calling: A Legacy and Loss Amidst COVID-19
I first met Clinton Washington at an organizational retreat in Los Angeles. He stood up in front of The Bail Project’s entire staff and, without hesitation, emphasized the need to acknowledge the humanity in the work that we do. It didn’t take long for me to realize what he meant: in Clinton’s eyes, we need to see each person in the pretrial system as their fullest self – not just as a potential missed court date or someone defined by their experiences with the criminal justice system.
Trump's Bail Outcry Unveils America's True Justice Disparity
When Donald Trump was charged and arrested along with 18 co-defendants by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Trump and his spokespeople took to social media and the press to lament the existence of a “two-tiered system of justice.” But these complaints are a ruse, meant to suggest an injustice that doesn’t exist for the affluent and privileged – not in the way that it does for America’s poor.
How To Establish Trust in Your Business Partnerships Original
When you see a successful company, it seems as though its success happened overnight — a Cinderella story, if you will. We all know that's not reality. But the beautiful thing about building and running your own business (while extraordinarily challenging at times) is that it allows you to take what's broken and rethink the structures around it. This process has helped us define our principles and create practices that not only produce great work, but happy workers and satisfied clients as well.
Op-Ed: The Bail Project is an easy scapegoat. The issue is cash bail, not who pays it.
The American criminal legal system rests on an important principle. If you are accused of a crime, you are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise in a court of law. Most people would agree that this essential due process protection is key to democracy. Without it, government authorities could simply throw you in jail without cause for an indefinite period of time. In the debate around cash bail, many people seem to forget that this principle is ultimately what is at stake.
Yes, You Should Invest In Upskilling Your Changing Workforce. Here's Why.
The next generation is reshaping the future of work with the new and shifting demands of their employers. Workers are embracing more fluid terms with the businesses that employ them, often opting for independent and more flexible work, or making lateral moves far more often than previous generations. With all this in mind, you should expect to decrease spending on upskilling or reskilling your people, right? Wrong. In fact, I’d recommend exactly the opposite. The world needs more skilled workers.
How to Integrate New Technology into Your Organization in 3 Steps
There’s no question that tech forces continue to both frustrate and foment the publishing industry. Technology is forcing fundamental changes within organizations. And while publishers need to adapt or risk falling further behind, integrating new technologies into your business and implementing new processes within your teams adds another layer of challenges.
3 Ways to Ensure Native Advertising Doesn’t Self-Destruct
When done properly, sponsored content is a way to reengage readers with the ad experience they’ve become blind to. In a world where ad blockers pose an ever-present challenge, paid content (AKA, branded content, sponsored content, or native advertising) is an effective workaround for publishers and advertisers alike. Besides being an effective tool to get a message past ad blockers, paid content can enable brands to tell their stories where pre-roll or display ads fail.
Food Banks Merit Praise, Not Criticism
SHARE THIS STORY: October 8, 1998 | Read Time: 2 minutes Far from “intensifying poverty and eroding government assistance,” as Janet Poppendieck charges in her recent opinion piece (“Emergency Food: Moving Beyond the Hunger Trap,” My View, September 10), food banks and food-rescue programs are the only groups keeping millions of Americans from conditions of serious hunger.
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