“On any given day, 60,000 women and girls are caged in jails. Pretrial and presumed innocent.”
Three-time GRAMMY Award singer-songwriter Fiona Apple speaks out on America’s damaged cash-bail system in her new single, “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home).” The above statistic is found towards the end of Apple’s accompanying music video and can be backed by thousands of women who find their lives turned upside down from being unable to afford bail. With crisp chants, unique hand drums, and lyricism that bleeds the truth behind this nation’s pretrial detention system, Apple’s release urges fans to advocate for more constructive change.
Time and time again, I listened as people were taken away and put in jail, for no other reason than that they couldn’t afford to buy their way free. It was particularly hard to hear mothers and caretakers get taken away from the people who depend on them.”
fiona apple
Released May 7, 2025, “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” was written in support of the Free Black Mamas DMV initiative, a collection of organizations which seek to raise awareness on the systemic injustices against mothers of color. Apple herself spent the past five years volunteering with the group, as well as court-watching for CourtWatch PG, a volunteer-based community that observes bail hearings and other trials in order to ensure fairness. Her experiences with those impacted are reflected through vivid lines such as, “At home she’s got two kids and grandma needs her care / Who pack the lunch and give meds if she’s in jail and not there?”
“Wouldn’t let her go home / And now there’s no more home”
The anthem continues to delve into the narrative of a single mother who couldn’t fulfill her work or family responsibilities due to pretrial incarceration. From the family’s grandmother suffering from a fall, to her own children ultimately being taken away by CPS, Apple reveals the severity of these outcomes despite all the initial charges being dropped. With an average yearly income of just $11,000 and bail often amounting to nearly $10,000, many of these women are faced with a substantial cost for freedom, often built upon a foundation of structural racism and the criminalization of poverty.
The official music video features a compilation of photos and videos shared by women who have gone through the harsh reality of pretrial detention. Despite the collection of wholesome family flicks and real personal achievements, the film also highlights the consequences of custody loss, failed incomes, and stigmatized shame. Photo subjects begin glitching out to represent their disappearance in real stories.
I hope that this song, and the images shared with me, can help to show what is at stake when someone is kept in pretrial detention. I give this song in friendship and respect to all who have experienced the pain of pretrial detention and to the women of the group’s leadership who have taught me so much and whom I truly love.”
fiona apple
“Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” shines a very bright light on marginalized women whose lives are upended by being detained before a hearing. As the closing line of Apple’s music video reads, “Help return these mothers to their families.” Consider donating to the Let Her Go Home and Black Mamas DMV funds, as well as volunteering to “court watch” here.
“Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” is available today on all streaming platforms, so give it a listen and share the cause.