Want to Post Bail? Wait Until Morning Says Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, NV - This week the Justice Court has decided to stop allowing people to post bail between midnight and 8 a.m. The reason for this decision is due to the Clark County pretrial services division’s hiring freeze. Since October, the pretrial division that processes bail requests has drastically reduced its staff and therefore cannot process bail requests 24 hours a day. The pretrial services division is implementing new money saving procedures with this change in bail processing. This change has spawned issues regarding jail overcrowding... Read more

Businessman Held on $1 Million Bail in Supergraphic Case

HOLLYWOOD, CA - Kayvan Setareh, a 49-year-old businessman from Pacific Palisades, California, was arrested for illegally installing a supergraphic on a famous building near the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The arrest was an unusually aggressive move by law enforcement and comes less than a week after the city attorney filed a separate lawsuit involving more than a dozen other supergraphics scattered across the city. Setareh is currently being held on $1-million bail and is awaiting his arraignment. Read the rest of the story.  Read More →

Washington Amendment May Allow Judges to Deny Bail

OLYMPIA, WA - Earlier this year, the state of Washington began talking about revising its current bailing process. The current Constitution allows judges to deny bail only in death-penalty cases. The proposed amendment would allow judges discretion to deny bail to anyone charged with a crime carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison, the most serious crimes such as murder, rape, armed robbery and assault with a  deadly weapon.  After much controversy and disagreement between the state House and the Senate, the two came to an agreement and... Read more

St. Louis Judges Continue Toward Bail Bond Overhaul

ST. LOUIS, MO - Judges have decided to rework the current  St. Louis Circuit Court’s bond commission office. They would like to make bailing someone out of jail more efficient and cost-effective and are asking for ideas on the issue.The current bail process requires multiple offices to approve paperwork in order to release a defendant. Many view this process as time-consuming, redundant, and expensive. The judges are looking to other county jail systems for different methods to process bail requests. Read the rest of the story.  Read More →

Pretrial Bill Sees Controversy in Florida

ST. JOHN, FL – Senator John Thrasher is advocating a bill — Senate Bill 782– which would limit access to pretrial programs by limiting the requirements for legibility more strictly. Thrasher and other advocates of the bill note that the new legislation would make streets safer, would save tax dollars, and would keep dangerous criminals behind bars. Opponents of the bill, including the St. Johns County Commission, note that the new law would overcrowd jails and would leave less wealthy defendants to remain in jail for long periods of... Read more

White-Collar Fugitive Commits Common Mistakes

COLUMBUS, OH – When bondsmen chase down a fugitive, they often investigate the felon’s family and friends. That tactic paid off recently for investigators searching for former National Century executive Rebecca S. Parrett. Wanted after being indicted for stealing from investors, Parrett ran from justice. However, she made a classic mistake, say investigators. She remained in email contact with her sister. The family contact allowed authorities to arrest her. Investigators and bondsmen note that ties between a fugitive and friends and family... Read more

Jail Costs Examined

BRIGHTON, CO – A recent article in a Colorado newspaper compared the costs of keeping inmates in jail and found the costs comparable to sending a teen to college. The U.S. Justice Department reports that it costs $22,000-$25,000 annually to keep someone in jail – comparable to the cost of tuition at many colleges. The cost of bail, however, brings down jail costs considerably. According to the U.S. Justice Department, many people in jail are there on bail amounts of $1,500 or less. Bailing these people out could lower overall jail expenses.... Read more

Is the Bail Bond Industry Becoming Less Lucrative?

SOLANO, CA – According to bondsman Michael Bowman of Calvin Elam Bail Bonds, the bail bond industry is becoming a less profitable business proposition. He notes that the recent economic downturn caused many local bondsmen to go out of business. Businesses like his who remained in business had to adjust and change tactics to survive. According to Bowman, even though crimes seem to be on the increase, lack of money among defendant’s families and huge bail bond firms are pushing many bondsmen out of business. In his four decades in the business,... Read more

Are Cash Bonds Dangerous?

CLARK, IN – Under Indiana Code, judges setting bond are supposed to consider the flight risk a defendant poses before posting bond. However, Clark County Circuit Court Judge Dan Moore notes that most defendants (except murder suspects) are granted bond and have the right to bond. According to the Indiana Surety Bail Agents Association, cash bonds are often used in Clark County. In that county, however, defendants do not have to sign paperwork which makes them responsible for the full bond amount. Some Indiana bond experts note that this bond system... Read more

Pretrial Release Debate Now in Virginia

RICHMOND, VA – Across the country and now in Virginia, bondsmen are speaking out against pretrial release programs. Now, The House of Delegates’ Courts of Justice Committee has passed a bill which might allow only indigent defendants to qualify for pretrial release programs. In addition, judges are still permitted to release defendants without bail, on their own recognizance. The bill has the support of bondsmen, who say pretrial programs hurt business, cost taxpayer dollars, and may allow dangerous criminals to skip court dates. Read the... Read more

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