- Uptrust, a San Francisco-based technology company fighting mass incarceration, announced it raised $1.3 million
Uptrust is a San Francisco-based technology company fighting mass incarceration, which announced it raised $1.3 million in funding. Launched in 2017, Uptrust has secured partnerships with over 50 new jurisdictions and now works with 40% of the 15 most populated counties in the US and reducing FTA (Failure to Appear) rates by 50% in certain jurisdictions.
This funding round — which is comprised of a combination of grants and investment — enables Uptrust to broaden both its engineering and sales capabilities and to service the growing number of government customers seeking and pursuing assistance in reducing jail populations.
The funding will also improve Uptrust’s products, which ensures people attend mandatory appointments in the criminal justice system by reminding them of their obligations and connecting them to relevant social services.
There are millions of Americans who have gone to jail because of a missed court date or probation check-in, which may result in a revocation of previously imposed bail conditions or a new criminal charge in certain jurisdictions. And the downstream effects of these small mistakes are huge as many judges and prosecutors fail to release individuals after subsequent interactions with law enforcement when not confident that a person will show up for all of their future court dates or judges set an unaffordable bail amount, also resulting in jail.
The incarcerating of these individuals results in a staggering amount of government waste. And as a result, local governments spend over $9 billion on unnecessary pretrial incarceration, and an additional $1 billion issuing and enforcing FTAs.
Uptrust’s product initially focused on improving communication between public defenders and clients through text messages. And the level of need for Uptrust’s software has proven to be larger than initially expected.
This funding round will also help expand that number to support more than 150 jurisdictions and one million defendants by the end of 2020.
Key Quotes:
“The odds should not be stacked against millions of Americans who get involved with the justice system. Uptrust is making a course correction through technology in the most obvious way: enabling communication and support through mobile devices that we all use and rely on every day. We are pleased to support Uptrust as it expands upon its mission to keep people out of jail that shouldn’t be there.”
-Jordan Blashek, Director at Schmidt Futures
“Uptrust is building a differentiated and sustainable business by creating value for all stakeholders in the system, and we’re excited to invest in its continued growth. Municipal customers save money that can be redirected toward other needs. Criminal justice and law enforcement professionals gain back the hours spent dealing with the fallout of FTAs. And most importantly, low income individuals navigating the justice system receive a tool that helps them meet their commitments — while avoiding the burden of fees that most for-profit enterprises have historically charged them.”
-Tony Davis, an investor in Uptrust and founder of Inherent Group (a leading ESG investor)
“Community organizers and advocates have done an incredible job at educating the broader public and key stakeholders about the problems associated with pretrial detention and money bail. We at Uptrust are trying to do a small part by building technology products that enhance those efforts and allow local jurisdictions to decarcerate without expanding the use of supervision or electronic monitoring. We’re excited to have such a strong collection of financial supporters that also perceive the untapped opportunity to build tools to impact lives but at the expense of communities impacted by mass incarceration.”
-Jacob Sills, co-founder and CEO of Uptrust
