Zoning Ordinance Proposal Could Hurt Bondsmen

DOUGLASVILLE, GA – A recent city council meeting considered several proposals, one which would require a minimum of 2,500 feet between bondsmen offices in the area. The proposal has been referred to the zoning board. If it becomes an ordinance, there may be much competition in specific areas of the city. Bondsmen often seek out locations near a courthouse or jail, to make it more convenient for customers to visit. If the new ordinance is put in place, only a limited number of bondsmen would be able to establish a business in these areas. Read... Read more

Bondsmen Accused of Impersonating Authorities

SANFORD, FL – Bondsman Major Lanier and others are accused of impersonating police officers and over-stepping boundaries in their search for felons. Two women claim that Lanier and two other men led them to believe that they were police officers. One woman alleges she was forced into a car at her place of work and confined for hours. Lanier has denied the charges and has said, through his attorney, that he did nothing wrong.  Currently Lanier is being held in jail, without bond. Read the full story here.  Read More →

Leon County Commission Representative Opposes Bail Bill

LEON, FL – Bill Proctor, a representative on the Leon County Commission, objects to SB 782/HB 445, a bill he calls nothing more than “an economic stimulus fix for the bail bonds industry.” Proctor notes that the number of inmates in Leon County jail has decreased from 1,134 in 2006 to 915 in 2010, a drop he attributes to the pretrial release program. He believes that SB 782/HB 445, a bill which seeks to limit who can be part of the pretrial release program, would cost taxpayers more money in overcrowded jails and a larger jail population. Read... 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

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

Lobby Group Sets Sights on Florida Pretrial Release

BROWARD, FL – Broward County’s pretrial release program has seen a few cutbacks recently. Everyone involved in the justice system knows that pretrial release is a highly political issue. Bondsmen claim that the system is unsafe and costs them business. Defense lawyers claim that pretrial release helps those clients who cannot afford to pay a bondsman 10% of their bond. In Broward County, bondsmen lobbyists advocated for a county ordinance. That ordinance limits the pretrial program. While advocates of pretrial release note that the program saves... Read more

‘Sex Or Jail’: Bail Bondsman Charged With Battery

ORLANDO, FL - Allen Burns was released on a $10,000 bond after being charged with sexual battery. Authorities reported that Burns threatened a 20-year-old mother that if she did not sleep with him, she would be thrown back in jail. After being released on a theft charge in November, the woman told investigators she had a small child and could not be sent back to jail. Burns allegedly intimidated the woman by saying, “It’s either this, or you go back to jail.” Read the full article.  Read More →

Inmates Who Can’t Make Bail Face Stark Options

NEW YORK, NY – Bail not only means that defendants can get out of jail while awaiting court dates, but experts and studies agree that bail offers more choices for defendants as well. Defendants out on bail are more likely to get smaller sentences, are more likely to plead not guilty and are more likely to protest unfair treatment at the hands of arresting officers. Defendants who cannot get out on bail are more likely to plead guilty – even if they are innocent – and more likely to get longer sentences, no matter what plea they enter. Read... Read more

How Overcrowded are US Jails?

LUBBOCK, TX - Lubbock, Texas is a city of a quarter million, and there are about twelve bail bond businesses operating here. National studies and the Justice Department have published reports suggesting that those defendants in jails in Lubbock and across the country who have money have far more options than those who do not. Those who have money can hire private attorneys and pay their full bail amounts to get out of jail almost at once. Those who have some money can often pay a bail bondsman 10% of the bail amount to get out of jail until their... Read more

Renting Jail

BANDERA, TX – Until Bandera County decided to build its own larger jail, some inmates were being housed in rented jail space in nearby county jails. Some opponents believed the rent system created too many added costs to the prison system. Some critics of the new jail, however, point out that there is already plenty of jail space in nearby county jails, making a new prison an unnecessary expense and wasteful project. Full Story  Read More →

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