247 Bailbonds

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  • New York City Plans To Eliminate Bail For Low-Level Or Non-Violent Suspects

    New York City Plans To Eliminate Bail For Low-Level Or Non-Violent Suspects

    Thousands of New Yorkers accused of low-level or non-violent crimes won’t face the prospect of raising cash for bail under a plan that seeks to keep such suspects out of the troubled Rikers Island jail complex.

    The $18 million city plan, detailed to The Associated Press ahead of the announcement on Wednesday, allows judges beginning next year to replace bail for low-risk defendants with supervision options including daily check-ins, text-message reminders and connecting them with drug or behavioral therapy.

    Bail has long been criticized by inmate advocates for unfairly targeting poor people. And reforms were recommended by a mayoral task-force last year after the AP reported on the case of a mentally ill homeless man who was unable to make $2,500 bail for trespassing and died in a sweltering hot Rikers cell.

    More calls for reform gained traction after the suicide last month of 22-year-old Kalief Browder. When he was 16 years old, Browder was unable to make $3,000 bail on charges he stole a backpack. He ended up being held in Rikers for three years, beaten by inmates and guards alike and held in solitary confinement before charges against him were eventually dropped.

    “I think the basic principle is that Kalief Browder and other cases have begun to signify this (need for reform) in the public eye,” said Elizabeth Glazer, the mayor’s criminal justice coordinator. “We want to focus on risk to be the determining factor to decide if someone will be in or out; and it has to be risk, not money.”

    Currently, about 41 percent of criminal defendants who pass through New York City courts annually are released on their own recognizance and another 14 percent, or 45,500 people, are held on bail.

    About 87 percent of the 1,100 people on supervised release in already-existing city pilot programs return to court when they’re supposed to, officials said.

    Initial funding, provided by the Manhattan district attorney, allows for as many as 3,000 defendants charged with misdemeanors or non-violent felonies to bypass bail, letting them live with their families and keep their jobs while their cases wind through the courts. Officials say they would like to expand non-bail options to include thousands more.

    Releasing defendants to community supervision based on so-called risk-assessment tools that gauge a person’s threat to public safety is increasingly done in cities and states throughout the country.

    About 10 percent of state, county and city courts currently use some such tool to decide if a defendant’s too risky to be released or who qualifies for some level of supervision, according to the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, which created its own risk instrument that’s used in Arizona, Kentucky and New Jersey as well as in cities such as Charlotte, Chicago, and Phoenix.

    Washington, D.C., also is considered a model for eliminating bail, though it still detains pre-trial offenders deemed too dangerous to be released back in the community.

    But in New York, unlike most states, efforts to fully do away with bail are complicated by state law, which requires judges to consider defendants’ risk of flight, not their risk of reoffending, when determining bail conditions.

    Glazer said she hoped legislators would consider changing the law, a move supported by the state’s chief judge, Jonathan Lippman, who said in a statement alternatives to either jail time or no supervision at all “are critical steps in reducing overreliance on bail.”

  • Connell man charged with murdering girlfriend and her son held on $1 million bail

    Connell man charged with murdering girlfriend and her son held on $1 million bail

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    Washington State Man Held on $1 Million Bail

    A Connell, Washington man was arrested for killing his girlfriend and son and was held on $1 million bail (records from provider of bail bonds in Las Vegas).

    Prudencio Juan Fragos-Ramirez was scheduled to return to court on July 14 faced two counts of first-degree murder. The charges said Fragos-Ramirez acted with premeditation when he shot Maria G. Cruz-Cavillo, 18 and Luis Lopez-Crus, 3. After he shot the two, he set their car on fire in a ravine near Scooteney Reservoir. Dan Blasdel, the county coroner, said the boy was probably alive when the car was set afire.

    Fragoso-Ramirez was arrested shortly after the start of the investigation less than one-mile where the bodies were found in the smoldering car.

    Lawyers took four days to select a jury before presenting their respective sides to the case.

    Fragoso-Ramirez’s attorney, Scott Johnson, claimed there was no evidence that his client was responsible or the deaths.

    “At this moment, somewhere out there, a person has a terrible secret,” Johnson told the jury. “Someone knows how two people were killed and someone knows why they were killed.”

    Cruz-Calvillo and Fragos-Ramirez met in February 2015 and had just been dating him a few weeks before being killed on July 2.

    “The last individual to see Maria and Luis alive was Fragos-Ramirez,” Prosecutor Dave Corkrum said. “He was the first person to see them dead because he murdered them.”

    Victim’s Mother and Grandmother Speak to Jury

    Maria de Jesus Cruz-Calvillo, the victim’s mother, told the jury, “The killings changed life for each of us. He (Fragos-Ramirez) didn’t need to hurt anyone. I ask, ‘why did he do that’?” Following the murders, Jesus Cruz-Calvillo moved out of her house for four months. “Everything reminded me f my daughter and grandson,” she said.

    Jesus Cruz-Calvillo is now scared of the dark and frightened of being alone. She says Fragos-Ramirez killed her that day as well.

    “Even if he stays in prison his whole lie, I’m not pleased as he created a lot of damage to my family and me.”

    Maria Cruz-Calvillo and her son went shopping at Pasco when a next-door-neighbor noticed them stop by Fragos-Ramirez’s house.

    Less than 30-minutes after the visit; smoke was seen in a nearby ravine. Firefighters were extinguishing the flames when they observed two figures inside.

    Prosecutors claimed Fragos-Ramirez killed the youthful mother as he was domineering and consumed with the 18-year old.

    Defense lawyers maintained that Cruz-Calvillo had been marked by drug traffickers.

    Fragos-Ramirez did not testify and was sentenced to life in prison for each of the murders.

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  • Dylann Roof will remain in jail as judge could not set bond for murder charges

    Dylann Roof will remain in jail as judge could not set bond for murder charges

    Roof’s Death Sentence Bucks Trend in America

    Dylan Roof’s death sentence for the South Carolina shooting which left nine people dead, departs from the national downward trending of death penalty cases.

    Before the June 17, 2015 mass shooting, Roof’s only contact with police had been two arrests each occurring in the months immediately before the deadly attack. Following a February 28 incident at a Columbia mall, Roof was questioned by law enforcement and arrested on a misdemeanor charge of drug possession and banned from the mall for twelve-months.

    From the mid-1990s when death penalty cases stood at over 300 a year, the number of new death penalty cases has dropped to 30 in 2016 according to the Death Penalty Information Center.  The previous low was a 40-year low of 40 in 2015.

    Executions have dropped from almost 100 in 1999 to twenty in 2016 according to DPIC. Better defense teams, publicity of wrongful-conviction cases and changing public opinions of capital punishment have all led to the decline according to Robert Dunham, Executive Director of DPIC.

    “We’re in the middle of a climate change on the death penalty,” Dunham said. “The long-term trend shows a reduced utilization of the death penalty.”

    Roof, who fired a .45 caliber handgun told jurors “I felt like I had to do it. I still feel that way.”

    The jury recommended the death penalty after three hours of deliberation.

    In some ways, Roof’s case is an anomaly. He decided to defend himself, didn’t show any remorse and talking about killing again. At least, this is what Tayor Barton thinks – a bail bondsman in Las Vegas who keeps an eye on this case.

    “Someone representing themselves is not going to be able to put on that type of case,” said Brandon Garrett, a professor with the University of Virginia Law School.

     

    Is Dylann Roof’s Execution Justified?

    The drop in death penalty cases can be linked to improvements in capital defense teams nationally. Also, there are fewer cities and counties pushing the death penalty for budgetary reasons.

    Texas, with 538 executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, is seeing a decline as well. Death sentences have fallen from a zenith of 48 in 1999 to three in 2015 and three in 2016, said Kristin Houle, director of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

    In a 2016 Gallup Poll, a majority of people across America — 60-percent — favor the death penalty. That figure is down from 80-percent who supported the punishment in 1994.

    Garrett feels the shift from death sentences may be irreversible. “The trends are long-standing and ingrained,” he said. “I see them continuing.”

     

  • Bail bond business takes to the street to drum up clients

    Bail bond business takes to the street to drum up clients

    A new bail bonds agency based out in Cedar Rapids is generating some buzz around the Linn County Courthouse and Cedar Rapids City Hall. The questions aren’t about the entity as it is, but rather about one mobile trailer aka office.

    Lord Range, founder and CEO of Discount Bail Bonds and Process Server, has a brick and mortar office location in downtown Cedar Rapids. Yet last night he parked a mobile office on the 3rd Avenue bridge right across from the courthouse and jail on May’s Island.

    This office is a camper filled with signs both as advertising the bail bondsmen and showing a memo that also declares it’s a mobile office.

    Cedar Rapids city officials fielded questions about the tactic and discovered, with one small exception, the business owner is complying with city rules.

    The position of the trailer brings up the old joke about the three more important things in real estate — location, location, and location. Range said that was precisely the point of renting a reserved parking space directly across the street from the courthouse complex.

    “I just wanted people to know for their convenience I’m here 24/7 and by me having this camper here I’ll get the point across to the public,” Range said.

    Range admitted the camper he purchased used looks something like a rolling billboard. He said he needed to raise awareness of his three-week-old business and figured a spot very near the jail would be a prime location for new business.

    But he hopes to do more than just use the vehicle for displaying advertising signs. He wants to do a portion of bail bond business inside the van soon.

    The city determined his paid parking arrangement, and advertising on the side of the vehicle, meets all the standards. But to do business on the side of the street, he also needs a transient merchant permit — issued by the city clerk’s office. Range doesn’t have that yet.

    “I just left the city clerk’s office and they tell me it’s an easy fix. If I plan on doing any business or sales out of here it’s just writing a letter to the council and filling out a form for approval,” he said.

    Several other bail bond companies expressed surprise at the unusual competitive move. One bond company owner did remember something similar years ago but said that company lasted for a couple of months and then left.

    Range said he has the parking spot reserved for a week.

    He thinks it’s costing him $10 for each weekday. The way he figures it, if nothing else, it’s a lot cheaper than a billboard of similar size.

  • America Is An Expensive Incarceration Nation

    America Is An Expensive Incarceration Nation

    The majority of inmates in America’s prisons are poor, people of color and, for the most part, are guilty of non-violent crimes with drug offenses being at the top of the list. The growing inmate census and increasing expenses of corrections are known among policy makers. The public is becoming aware.

    According to the Washington Post in 2017, America has 5-percent of the planet’s population, but almost 25% of its inmates.

    According to research by the Vera Institute of Justice, the average taxpayer cost, per inmate is $31,287. The study, which looked at 40 states, calculated the cost of prison operations at $39 billion each year. $39 billion is $5.5 billion over the budget which the states set aside for corrections.

    Among the states reviewed in the research, New York spends the most (per inmate) — $60,000 annually. New York City alone hands over $167,000 annually to feed, house, clothe and guard each detainee. The amount spent each year on inmates is a teacher’s salary or a firefighter’s. The epidemic of incarceration costs American taxpayers almost $64 billion annually.

    Vera Institute’s researchers found the greatest costs beyond  corrections  included:

    • Inadequate payments to retiree healthcare for corrections employees
    • States’ participation in pensioner health care supporting the corrections departments
    • Employee health insurance
    • Contributions to corrections department employees’ pensions

    While per-inmate cost reveals the amount of money paid, it doesn’t address the efficiency of the cash outlay. Several of the states reviewed had moderate per-prisoner costs and other variations, such as overpopulation, higher-rate of incarcerating low-level violators and local jail use is not estimated for in the Institute’s figures.

    A 2015 report from Pew indicates state-level policy wonks have been overhearing. While visible hikes in incarceration costs have been recently reported, between 2007 and 2013 states’ imprisonment rate has dropped.   The states which made system modifications to manage prison upswings, shrink recidivism and contains costs saw their per-inmate expenditures fall.

    Working against any significant savings is the general attitude of “lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the-key.”

    Until, and unless, legislators change policies about alternative sentencing for low-level offenders, incarceration costs will continue to rise.

  • Pretrial release, bail bonding serve different needs

    Pretrial release, bail bonding serve different needs

    New Hanover County needs both pretrial release and bail bonding, said Larry Powell, co-owner of All American Bail Bonding and Tarheel Monitoring, the county’s contractor for electronic monitoring.

    “We can do a lot more if we can work together,” Powell said. “It takes both of us to run a successful pretrial release program.”

    The county pretrial release program doesn’t have arrest powers, so when defendants don’t show for court, the program issues a warrant. But those warrants aren’t always law enforcement’s priority. Bail bonding companies have arrest powers.

    Pretrial release also can’t tie a defendant’s family to a bond, which helps bail companies find no-shows.

    “Without their help to locate these people, it’d be almost impossible,” Powell said.

    But not everyone can afford bond and some inmates are arrested because they haven’t paid fines or child support.

    Pretrial could be a good fit for those inmates and others who need counseling, job placement and other services.

    Chad Taylor of Off The Hook Bail Bonds said he doesn’t see pretrial and bail bonding working together.

    “They mention things like that,” Taylor said. “But nothing’s looking like it’s going to go that way.”

  • Property crimes get less police attention in Sacramento area

    Property crimes get less police attention in Sacramento area

    In Jennifer Seghers’ corner of Land Park, property crimes are almost a weekly occurrence – a fact Seghers became aware of only after she fell victim herself.

    Her car was broken into last year and Seghers wanted to warn her neighbors. Turns out: “Everybody has a story.”

    Two neighbors had ashtrays full of change plucked from their cars. Another neighbor’s car was broken into, likely by a homeless person looking for a place to sleep, police surmised. Seghers, 42, lost some dirty clothes and a GPS device.

    The theft from her Mazda 3 hatchback didn’t land her on the news, nor did it appear to prompt much response from the Sacramento Police Department.

    But the break-in cast Seghers into the ranks of thousands of Sacramentans who have been victims of property crime – a fraternity of frustrated residents whose lives were not threatened, but whose quality of life and sense of security still suffered.

    “Police will tell you, ‘Remember, property is property and it can be replaced,’ ” said Deane Dana, an east Sacramento homeowner who manages the crime-focused “East Sac Watch” website.

    Nevertheless, he said, “it is an inconvenience, and it can be creepy.”

    Though common, property crime rarely attracts the level of attention of violent crime. The Bee recently examined the problem in Sacramento County, reviewing data from police and sheriff’s departments as well as national data.

    Among the findings:

    • In the city of Sacramento, a person is nearly six times more likely to be the victim of a property crime (burglary of a car, home or business; petty theft, or car theft) than a violent crime (murder, robbery, rape or aggravated assault). In the Sacramento County sheriff’s jurisdiction, a property crime is about four times more likely.

    • Property crime in the region rose in 2012 for the first time in years, though numbers remained well below the heights they reached in the last decade. The city’s 2012 numbers were 25 percent lower than in 2006, when Sacramento experienced its most recent peak in violent crime. Year-to-date statistics for 2013 show property crime down 6 percent in the city compared with the same period last year, and down 4 percent in the sheriff’s jurisdiction.

    • The property crime rate in the city of Sacramento in 2012 was about 42 crimes per 1,000 residents – higher than the national rate for all cities in 2011 (the last year such data were available), but just below the rate for cities roughly the same size.

    • In the city, property crime is most concentrated in more affluent neighborhoods: East Sacramento, Land Park and Tahoe Park were the top three residential police beats with the most property crime; Del Paso Heights, Parkway and Meadowview were among those that reported the least. Two notable exceptions were Oak Park, an impoverished area that ranked fourth, and the solidly middle class Pocket-Greenhaven area, which has the lowest property crime rate in the city.

    • The rate for the unincorporated county and the city of Rancho Cordova – both policed by the Sheriff’s Department – was about 25 per 1,000 residents. That’s a little higher than the nationwide rate in 2011 for metropolitan counties like Sacramento.

    • In the county, property crime is most common in parts of Arden Arcade and Carmichael, the Highway 50 corridor and pockets of south Sacramento east of Highway 99 and near Florin Road.

    • In both law enforcement jurisdictions, property crimes account for more than three-fourths of the crimes reported to authorities. Yet the two agencies, like most metropolitan forces, dedicate far more time and resources to violent crime, citing the need to prioritize. For example, less than 15 percent of the Sheriff’s Department’s investigative division is assigned to property crimes.

    “That’s the ironic thing,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Joachim, head of the property crimes unit. “Your average citizen (cares) anecdotally about people being killed, but what they really care about is who’s breaking into their cars and who’s breaking into their homes. And it’s probably the area where we give the least attention.”

    Low clearance

    Despite some lapses in recent years because of budget cuts, the police and sheriff’s departments now both respond to nearly all residential burglaries. However, victims of most other property crimes – such as the theft of an iPad out of a car, or a stolen bike – are likely to be referred online to file reports.

    Whether a crime scene investigator will respond, and whether the case will get picked up by a detective, depends largely on the circumstances of the crime – and its chances of getting solved.

    In 2012, sheriff’s investigators had a workload of 757 cases – just 5 percent of the nearly 16,000 reports that came in that year. Joachim said to use his detectives’ time better – and put the greatest number of thieves in jail – he has them focus on cases that show hope for closure.

    He estimated that the department’s budget woes in the last several years have prompted roughly a two-thirds reduction in resources allocated to property crime. That has left him with a team of 10 detectives, four of whom are dedicated to the specific issues of auto theft, metal theft and pawn shops.

    The Sacramento Police Department has fared slightly better, reducing its force dedicated to property crimes by about one-third in recent years. A total of 21 detectives and three sergeants are divided among three Neighborhood Crimes Units, which investigate robbery, identity theft and financial crimes in addition to property crimes.

    Regardless of staffing, however, property crimes are tough capers to solve. Fingerprints can be a huge help – but only when found. Often, witnesses are scarce, and a victim discovers the crime long after it happened. And when the stakes aren’t as high as they are in homicides or other violent crimes, people are less likely to come forward with information, officials said.

    The Police Department did not have an overall property crime closure rate calculated for 2012, but reported a closure rate of 15 percent for burglaries, 9 percent for petty thefts and 11 percent for car thefts. A case is “closed” or “cleared” when an arrest is made or a warrant issued.

    At the Sheriff’s Department, detectives cleared just 3 percent of the 15,000 property crimes reported. Of assigned cases, 53 percent were closed, Joachim said.

    Nationally, the clearance rate for property crimes in 2011 was almost 19 percent, according to the FBI. The agency has not yet released complete figures for 2012.

    However, Joachim noted that actual solve rates are almost certainly higher, given that many culprits are serial thieves. Those caught are in all likelihood linked only to a few of their actual offenses.

    “The problem is, when I arrest the bad guy, one or two victims might know they got justice … but there’s 50 other victims who don’t know that karma caught up to their bad guy,” he said.

    Officials do encourage residents to report all thefts – even those that seem trivial – to ensure accurate statistics and help pinpoint trends.

    Most people agree violent crime must take priority, even if it means property crimes go unsolved. Still, it can be tough to stomach when you’re a victim.

    “It’s the reality we live in with limited resources,” said Eric Guerra, past president of the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association. “If it means an officer is going to be at a much more life-threatening situation vs. coming to take a report on a property crime issue, I would want that officer … dealing with the more critical issue.

    “But is it frustrating? Of course it’s frustrating. It’s an invasion of one’s privacy, and neighbors feel violated.”

    Set the alarm

    Though property crime is common – and happens in all neighborhoods, no matter how safe – police stress that it is a crime of opportunity. That means residents can take steps to help prevent it.

    Installing a security alarm is probably the most obvious tactic.

    Ilan Frank, owner of Sacramento-based Crime Alert Security, said he’s seen local demand nearly double in the last two years. A basic system from his company is $195 upfront, with a monthly fee of $25, he said. Some larger companies offer free installation.

    Bob Michel, vice president of the national Electronic Security Association, cited a study by the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, that focused on the habits of more than 400 convicted burglars. That study found that 83 percent of burglars said they would try to determine if an alarm was present before attempting a burglary, and 60 percent would abort the mission if there was one.

    Michel, who also serves as president of the California Alarm Association, said about 20 percent of residents nationwide have home alarms. That number is expected to increase dramatically, however, given new technology that allows consumers to monitor thermostats, video and security systems all in one place.

    Steve Boilard of Carmichael got lucky: He and his wife installed a security alarm just before someone tried breaking into their garage last year.

    The would-be burglar was scared away by the alarm. But the incident got Boilard thinking about crime in his community – and much more low-tech ways to combat it.

    Boilard, 52, said he paid closer attention to emails from his local neighborhood watch coordinator, and what he described as “this surprising level of susceptibility that these homes all have.”

    These days, neighborhood watch groups can take all forms: Some meet regularly; some exchange information via email; some use social media, like Facebook or the emerging Nextdoor.com, to connect. Your local law enforcement agency can provide some guidance on how to start a group for your community if one doesn’t exist.

    But the central goal promoted by police and community advocates is getting involved. In Boilard’s Maddox Park area, that has meant chatting up neighbors the old-fashioned way.

    “Just that act of walking up and down the street and knocking on doors … has helped to kind of strengthen the street a little more,” Boilard said. “It’s good not just from the standpoint of security, it’s important from the standpoint of quality of life.”

    Frank, who provides home consultations, said people can protect themselves and their homes in many ways. It can be as simple as turning your blinds a certain way, reinforcing a door frame or buying a $30 device that makes it look like the TV is on.

    The bottom line, Frank said, is that residents can, and should, take action: “(People) need to be involved in their own security.”

    PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY

    Tips for preventing burglaries to your home or car:

    • Make sure your home is well lit on the outside, especially near doors, porches and the garage.

    • Keep shrubbery trimmed. It can provide cover for people snooping around your home.

    • Put a padlock on side or back gates. A burglar can jump a locked gate, but doing so looks suspicious.

    • Don’t let mail and newspapers pile up while you’re on vacation. (You can put a “vacation stop” on your Bee subscription by calling (800) 284-3233.)

    • Get timers for your indoor lights while you’re on vacation. You can leave lights on 24-7 while you’re gone, but a burglar casing your neighborhood might notice the lights never change.

    • If you have horizontal blinds, turn them upward rather than downward (meaning that if you try looking outside through the blinds, you must look downward). This makes looking in more difficult.

    • Copy the serial numbers of valuables, such as flat-screen TVs and laptops, and report that information to police if they are stolen.

    • If you choose to engrave your valuables, don’t just put your name. Put your phone number or driver’s license number. This information is generally not used in identity theft but it can make it easier for police to trace a recovered item back to you.

    • Keep valuables in a safe, but make sure it’s big enough that a burglar cannot easily carry it out.

    • If you keep a gun in your home, keep it in a gun safe. Many guns that police take from suspects are traced back to home burglaries.

    • Don’t leave valuables visible in your car – or anything that looks like it could hold valuables, such as a backpack. If you intend to put valuables in your trunk, pull over a few blocks away, put the item in the trunk and continue on to your destination.

    • Never leave your car running and unattended.

    • Install a mechanical locking device or security system in your car, especially if you have a car that’s commonly stolen, such as an older Honda Civic or Toyota Camry.

    • Get to know your neighbors. Organize a neighborhood watch group.

    • For more information, go to www.sacpd.org and click on “Be Safe” or “Get Involved” or www.sacsheriff.com and click on “Crime Prevention.”

    Sources: Sacramento police and sheriff’s departments

  • California Prison: Early Releases For Inmates Might Be Used To Combat Overcrowding

    California Prison: Early Releases For Inmates Might Be Used To Combat Overcrowding

    States Struggle to Reduce Prison Population

    A recent study shows a way to reduce prison populations and move America out of the lead spot as “incarceration capital of the world.”

    The study, by the College of Public Health and Human Services, reviewed records between 2001 and 2009 from 44 states. The study found that elevated spending on public inpatient treatment and community mental health services not only reduced prison counts but also provided a larger return on investment.

    California Under Pressure

    As California tries to meet federal court orders to reduce its prison population people are asking: Will the public be in greater danger?

    The answer determines how many prisoners are released, who would be released and if a federal judge decides to hold the state’s governor, Jerry Brown, in contempt.

    Brown’s administration filed its plan in May 2013 to reduce the incarcerated population by 7,000. The plan has already lowered the population by sending prisoners out of state and parking more felons in county jails.

    The latest steps still come over 2,000 detainees shy of the goal set by federal courts as they seek ways to ease overcrowding.

    As witnessed by 24/7 Bail Bonds Las Vegas, California must reduce the population of its thirty-three prisons to around 110,000 by the end of the year. Also called for is an improvement in the state’s care and treatment of sick, aged and mentally ill prisoners. The state has stated it will appeal, but the Supreme Court in Washington has stood by the decision once.

    “We can’t do more without creating problems for the counties,” said Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard.

    At the time, the judges allowed the state time until July to put together a list of inmates who are thought unlikely to commit new crimes and might be considered for early release. The state would then meet the required reduction “through the release of low-risk prisoners” if the other steps fail.

    “Low risk does not mean ‘no risk,’” said Beard. “The remaining ‘low risk’ people left in the system are ones considered dangerous and violent offenders.”

    Senator Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, was upset with reduction proposals which called for adding 1,250 prisoner firefighters by allowing inmates to participate. Nielsen also objects to giving prisoners “good time” credits. Nielsen feels inmates don’t have to do anything to earn the sentence reductions. Yet, Nielsen doesn’t want to allow programs such as the firefighters supplement to provide a way to receive credit.

    “The real solution would be to hold inmates in private penitentiaries,” Nielsen said.

    While Nielsen toes the Republican line, there are some proven ways to reduce the prison population:

    1. Decriminalize/legalize drugs.
    2. Reducing or eliminating sentences for non-violent crimes.
    3. Void mandatory sentencing laws.
    4. Revamp the “post-prison” experience.

  • Bail Bonds Studies

    Are There Actual Studies About What Happens when a Person is Released on his Own Recognizance Versus When a Person is Released on Bail? If so, what are the findings?

    Yes there are. Though many individuals have criticized the existence of private bondsmen, several individuals have provided credible contentions manifesting the advantages of surety bonds over the release on own recognizance system. This debate has waged for a number of years, and often the criticism of either side of the debate relies on theory. However, two articles, namely those of Dr. Michael Block and Eric Helland and Alexander Tabarrok, present comprehensive evidence to establish the supremacy of surety bonds over release on own recognizance.

    Helland and Tabarrok in their article entitled, “Public versus Private Law Enforcement: Evidence from Bail Jumping,” explore the reasons for the increased efficiency of surety bonds. Helland and Tabarrok write of the extensive powers of a bondsman, stating, “Bond dealers and their agents have powerful rights over any defendant who fails to appear, rights that exceed those of the public police. Bail enforcement agents, for example, have the right to break into a defendant’s home without a warrant, make arrests using all necessary force including deadly force if needed…”

    Besides these potent powers exerted by bond dealers, they also have more time and resources to dedicate to ensuring their defendants serve under the court’s jurisdiction, and as Helland and Tabarrok state, “In contrast [to bond dealers] public police bureaus are often strained for resources and the rearrest of defendants who fail to show up at trial is usually given low precedence.” In comparison, the rearrest and recapture of these defendants is the sole priority of bail agents.

    Correspondingly, Block, who is a professor of Economics and Law, provides additional insight supporting surety bonds. Block examines statistics provided from the 12 largest counties in California, citing that increased failures to appear in court of those released on their own recognizance compared to surety bonds. Furthermore, Block writes of the increased cost effectiveness of surety bonds, stating, “We find that if Surety Bond releases comprised 52% rather than 45% of all releases in California’s 12 largest counties in 2000, the budget savings in these urban counties would have been over $1.3 million…In addition, we estimate there would have been a savings in social costs due to a reduction in the number of fugitives of about $13.3 million.”

    Identifying both the economic and statistical advantages of surety bonds, Block’s article corroborates with Helland and Tabarrok, maintaining the superiority of private surety bonds over defendants released on their own recognizance.

  • Kartel cops bail on conspiracy charge

    Kartel cops bail on conspiracy charge

    Embattled Dancehall superstar, Vybz Kartel is another step closer to temporary freedom as the prominent deejay has secured bail on another charge.

    Kartel has been granted JA$500,000 bail in his conspiracy case in relation to the murder St. Catherine-based dancer, Clive ‘Lizard Williams. The ruling was made when Kartel appeared in the Corporate Area Criminal Court Tuesday morning.

    Kartel, along with long-time musical protégé, Vanessa ‘Gaza Slim’ Saddler and studio engineer, Andre ‘Pim Pim’ Henry are charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice following Williams’ murder in August 2011. The charge stems from a police report Saddler filed five days after Kartel was charged for murder in the Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams matter. Prosecutors initially claimed they seized a cellphone containing text messages in which Kartel ordered Gaza Slim to file the report.

    Vybz Kartel, who was also granted bail last December in the Barrington ‘Bossie’ Burton murder case, remains in police custody on the Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams murder charge.

    The high-profile entertainer will return to court next month when the Barrington ‘Bossie’ Burton trial is expected to commence. The Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams murder trial and accompanying conspiracy cases have been put off until January 2013.