Keep Bailing

The Professional Bail Agents of the United States (PBUS) will be holding its annual winter conference during the dates of Feb. 24 to 27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The Mirage Resort and Casino is slighted to be this year’s venue.

The tentative agenda for the conference is as follows.   Sunday Feb. 24 will include a volunteer registration, committee meetings, exhibitor set-up and pre-registration.  A Board of Directors meeting will take place that afternoon and a first-time attendees reception will be held in the evening at the hotel’s Calypso Court.

Monday, attendees will have the chance to meet and greet at the morning break and registration.  Seminars taking place that day will include electronic skip-tracing techniques and Read more »

The San Bernardino City Council is considering a measure which, if passed, would dissolve the San Bernardino Police Department. A city spokesperson said they have already contacted the Sheriff’s Department to request they provide a bid outlining their cost to provide police services.

Accrding to a recent news report, the city filed for bankruptcy protection last summer after learning they were facing a budget shortfall of $46 million.  In order for the bankruptcy petition to be considered, a number of cost cutting measures need to be explored.

The Mayor and City Attorney have indicated they are not in favor of disbanding the San Bernardino Police Department but at this point, their hands are tied.  Both point out that without being granted bankruptcy protection the city will be at the mercy of its creditors.

Some residents feel the Sheriff’s department will Read more »

Hollenbeck LAPD To Raise Money

Members of the Los Angeles Police Department are teaming up with celebrities to help raise money to support the LAPD Hollenbeck Station Police Activities League (PAL).   A department spokesperson said they are hopeful to raise approximately a quarter million dollars which will help the PAL continue to serve underprivileged youth.

The LAPD blog notes a secondary component of the fundraising campaign is to help shine a light on the problem of juvenile delinquency.   It is hoped that by making people aware that children of all socioeconomic backgrounds can be tempted, coming up with solution as to how to combat delinquency and underachieving can be formulated.

A number of celebrities have filmed descriptive videos to help raise awareness.  Those celebrities include Read more »

Today we conclude our series: War On Public Safety…

The American Bail Coalition believes that it simply does not make sense to abolish an industry that is more than 100 years old and employs more than 25,000 people. The commercial bail system, they said, is the only form of pretrial release that guarantees the their defendants will appear in court.  It is also the only system that has built in checks and balances to ensure bondsmen and the people who cosign bail contracts are held accountable for the defendant’s promise to appear.

Time and time again, studies have shown that people released pending trial through the assistance of a bail bonds company are fare more likely to handle their case than those released through non-monetary bail.   This industry, they said, has operated successfully since its inception and does so without cost to taxpayers.  Moreover, allowing pretrial defendants to be released through pretrial services’ risk-assessment system could potentially put public safety at risk.

Because of this, victims and their advocates need to stand up.  They need to Read more »

We continue to bring to you our series: War On Public Safety…

The Justice Police Institute (JPI) has been vocal in their belief the commercial bail industry should be disbanded.  Over the past several months they have released two documents filled with arguments as to thy the current system is flawed.  The American Bail Coalition (ABC) believes these claims are not only outlandish, they are simply untrue.  The ABC has since released a point-counterpoint in hopes of shedding more appropriate light onto the matter.

For Profit Bail Corrupt?

• The JPI says giving complete control over a defendant’s personal liberty is a practice that is more than a bit questionable.  They also believe this has led to widespread corruption and abuse.  To underscore that stance, they have cited examples of bondsmen colluding with inmates as a means of getting client referrals, instances where bondsmen have extorted clients in order to get more money and other splashy news headlines.
• The American Bail Coalition said the bail bonds industry is nor more or no less corrupt than any other industry out there.  They acknowledge corruption exists within commercial bail but also notes it exists within the judicial system and even within pretrial services. Instead of abolishing bail bonds companies, they said, it would be more prudent to clean them up.  They also talk about cities like Chicago, that are now dealing with widespread loansharking because the commercial bail industry has been shut town.

Free Alternatives To Bail

• The JPI said non-monetary bail systems have a proven track record.  Successful models can be found in both Oregon and Kentucky.  There is no reason these types of programs can be replicated throughout the US.
• The Coalition disagrees with claims these programs are successful and says they are substandard at best.

Keep Commercial Bail Or End It

• The  JPI is advocating that jurisdictions in states that have not banned bail bonds businesses should implement their own rules and restrictions.  Non-financial release options should be presented along with policies and procedures for allowing this type of release.
• The ABC said the US Department of Justice has consistently found Read more »

We continue to bring to you our series: War On Public Safety…

The JPI recently published a white paper outlining reasons they feel the commercial bail industry should be abolished. Shortly thereafter, they furthered the attack by publishing a second paper. The American Bail Coalition (ABC) has lambasted the JPI’s circulations, saying they amount to little more than a series of  meritless claims.   The ABC has said they believe the second document, entitled For Better or For Profit: How the Bail Bonding Industry Stands in the Way of Fair and Effective Pretrial Justice  to be a “flat out, over-the-top smear campaign on the bail bond profession” designed to justify the many shortcomings of pretrial services.   As a result, the ABC has  provided counterpoints for each argument the JPI has made in this paper, as well.

Bail Amounts & Jail Overcrowding

• The JPI said judges are raising bail amounts because bail bonds companies only charge their clients a small percentage of the total bail in order to purchase a bond.  Bail bonds companies are causing additional problems because some are allowing clients the option of making monthly payments toward that fee, leading judges to set bail even higher. The JPI believes this is a vicious cycle that is causing bail amounts to become exorbitant, which further leads to jail overcrowding.
• The ABC refutes this claim and points to a 2011 study which found that jail populations have declined for 36 straight months.   Less than one tenth of one percent of the US population is currently behind bars.

Bail & Political Interest

• The JPI has suggested the only reason bail bonds companies continue to exist is due to political pressure and influence.  Bail bonds company owners and the insurance companies who back them taken in billions each year.  The JPI believes this has led to widespread lobbying efforts on Capital Hill.   In the state of California, they said, close to $500,000 has been spent on lobbying in the past 12 years.
• It is the position of the ABC that it’s quite a stretch to suggest the commercial bail industry is buying its support.  Approximately 4% of the revenue made by surety companies relates the bail business, they said, and this is hardly a significant percentage of total profits. The ABC also point to the millions of dollars that Read more »

We continue to bring to you our series: War On Public Safety…

The Justice Policy Institute (JPI) recently published a white paper entitled Bail Fail: Why the US Should End the Practice of Money for Bail.  The Justice Police Institute is arguing for the disbandment of the commercial bail industry.  They feel that a for-money bail system not only violates the constitutional rights of people who cannot afford to pay a bondsman,  they also believe the industry is unnecessary.

The American Bail Coalition (ABC) has been extremely vocal when it comes to their disagreements with the JPI’s arguments.  This has led the ABC to present a point-counterpoint in hopes of shedding more appropriate light onto the matter and uncovering JPI’s War On Public Safety.  We look continue to at these points.

Bail Truth, Defendant Lies

• The JPI is confident that pretrial services could be extremely helpful to local law enforcement when it comes to providing risk assessment of candidates for non-monetary bail.   They further believe pretrial services could serve as an effective advocate for citations with a requirement to appear as opposed to arresting someone and requiring they post bail before being released.
• The ABC believes this is complete hogwash.  Pretrial employees, they say, conduct interviews with people who are believed to be telling the truth.  The ABC is in complete disagreement with the JPI on this matter.

Oversight of Released Defendants – Public Pays vs. Bondsman

• The JPI believes that personal calls to defendants who have been released on non-monetary bail will help improve appearance rates.  If they are reminded through a personal or automated call system, this will help ensure defendants will remember to go to court.
• The ABC said commercial bail bonds company owners already Read more »

With California county jails getting overcrowded, several organizations are pushing for new programs that will let qualified defendants await their trial at home without having to pay for bail.

Santa Clara, San Francisco and Santa Cruz have instituted pretrial release programs in order to help reduce the number of inmates inside the jails. Only nonviolent defendants who are unable to afford bail are permitted to stay at home until trial, allowing them to work and take care of their family.

Reportedly, these types of programs are supported by advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union as well as some lawmakers. They feel that the programs promote justice and public safety. Evaluations are done in order to determine if offenders are eligible for pretrial release.

Some argue that the current bail system favors those with money, leaving low-income offenders stranded behind bars until their trial is concluded.

Others feel and statistics bear out that having bail will lessen the likelihood that a defendant will Read more »

We continue to bring to you our series: War On Public Safety…

The Justice Policy Institute (JPI) recently put out a document which argues for the abolishing of the “for money” or commercial bail system.   The American Bail Coalition (ABC) disagrees with JPI on almost all accounts, and has produced a series of counterarguments to their claims. We continue our series examining these points.

Study or Defeat?

• The JPI advocates the implementation of a “measurement system” which would allow pretrial release and detention programs to be evaluated.   They believe in order to understand how pretrial detention impacts defendants, in depth studies need to be done.   The JPI further wants to have this data cross compared with similar data from other nations in order to gauge how the US is doing.
• The ABC is steadfast in its belief this request is little more than an admission of the ineffective nature of pretrial services agencies.  They also note that a number of nations do not allow citizens the right to bail and are able to hold pretrial defendants for indefinite periods of time.

Bail Reporting & Regulation

• The JPI has said they want the commercial bail industry to be required to report on their statistical success rates.  This would include mandatory reporting on failures to appear and forfeitures.  Bail bonds companies help facilitate the release of millions of defendants every year and because of this,  additional oversight and regulation needs to be required.  The JPI believes this type of data will allow policy makers to better understand the pros and cons of this industry when compared to non-monetary bail options.
• The ABC notes that bail bonds companies are part of a strictly regulated industry.  They and their insurance underwriters are already required to keep these types of records, especially because of the number of pretrial defendants who are released using their services.  Every bail bond posted, and every forfeiture, is a matter of public record.  The ABC said they have consistently offered to collect this information at no cost to the federal government, and has suggested Read more »

We continue to bring to you our series: War On Public Safety…

The Justice Policy Institute (JPI) and the American Bail Coalition (ABC) disagrees about pre-trial release means.   Recently, the ABC to do a point-counterpoint in hopes of shedding more appropriate light onto the matter.  We continue to take a  look at these points.

Public Information & Bail Education

• The JPI feels the community is not sufficiently informed about what the pretrial process entails.  They believe that if people were better educated they would be able to make better decisions and would be more successful in navigating it.   A good place to start, they said, would be to expand programs such as the Neighborhood Defendant Rights program.
• The ABC points out the best place to get this type of free bail information is by placing a call to a local bail bonds company.  They also note that most reputable bail companies have pages of information on their websites, many of which include videos and podcasts.  If this information is already widely available free of charge, does it make sense to funnel taxpayer dollars to fund additional programs to provide it?

Jail Crowding vs. Failure to Appear

• The JPI is advocating that police issue summons and citations to suspected law breakers as opposed to arresting them.  This would markedly reduce jail overcrowding and would help keep police on the streets.   If officers are not spending their time driving back and forth to the jail, they will be more effective in maintaining public safety.
• The ABC feels that although citations are an important part of the criminal justice system, that many people simply ignore the fact they require an appearance in court.   Some people never read them because they believe they are written warnings.  When they fail to appear, a warrant is issued.  In the state of California, more than 2 million failure to appear warrants are currently outstanding.  Most of these are due to not appearing for court as required by a citation.

The Purpose of Bail

• The JPI believes that validated risk assessment tools should be used by law enforcement officials in order to determine candidates for no-money bail.
• The American Bail Coalition feels this will not be the best predictive tool.  Just because someone is not believed to be dangerous, that is not to say they will make good on their commitment to go to court – which is Read more »