In 2017 New Jersey effectively did away with the cash bail bonds system. In its place they adopted a computer program that decided whether defendants should be held for trial or released without bail. In the two years since supporters of the change have scrambled to come up with any statistic they can find (or manufacture) to bolster the fantasy that this change has been good for the Garden State. Most of the arguments in favor of keeping the...

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While ordinary taxpayers have been busy going about their business bail “reformers” with powerful backers have brought financial ruin upon the judicial system in New Jersey, pushed through a bill in California (SB 10) that grants so much power to judges that even the ACLU has come out against it and created hundreds of thousands of new fugitives nationwide. To that last point there are many ways that attempts to eliminate the bondsman has cre...

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In April Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law House Bill 1225 which states that those accused of low level offenses such as petty theft, routine traffic violations and a variety of municipal charges can no longer be held in jail because they are unable to afford to pay a cash bail. In addition, the new law states that those currently being held on such charges because they can’t afford their bail must be immediately released. The G...

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The bail algorithm has been touted as the savior of the American justice system. According to its proponents this little understood computer program is able to determine in a nanosecond whether a person will show up in court later if released without bail. So if the computer gives someone the thumbs-up they’re allowed to walk free. If not, then the judge is free to order them held indefinitely. It’s a system many politicians and media types wou...

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The concept of the bail bondsman goes back nearly a thousand years to medieval England when it was introduced as a way to help prevent the crown from being able to arbitrarily lock up anyone they didn’t like. Later, it was modified to put limits on how much bail could be charged (seems the crown was using excessive bail amounts to lock opponents up anyway). As the legal concept of bail migrated to the American Colonies and then to the new Unite...

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Bail bond agents work hard to ensure everyone who has a right to be free on bail while awaiting trial can be free. They’re an integral part of the criminal justice system and have been for centuries. While the bail system in America is not perfect few of its imperfections originate with the bondsman who does a difficult job with steadfast determination and little by way of appreciation. But, as if their job wasn’t already hard enough, the reput...

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Comparison shopping is something you do with cars or refrigerators or TVs. Not bail agents. Likewise, the idea of grilling someone before deciding to work with them is a process that’s reserved for contractors. Right? You sit down with the roofer or landscaper and ask some questions to determine whether they’re trustworthy and knowledgeable. You don’t do that with a bondsman. Or do you? The fact is that not all bail bond agents are created equa...

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