The world’s in a bind right now, and bail bond advocates nationwide – including some in Adams County, Broomfield County, Weld County, and elsewhere in Colorado – are chomping at the bit. The cynical amongst us would say this is the opportunity they’ve been waiting for. COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate, so America’s incarcerated certainly deserve a chance to somehow serve their sentence without the risk of dying because of the pandemic. Right? The need for comprehensive and sensible bail bond reform is critical.
Over the course of human existence, evolution is defined as “the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations and relies on the process of natural selection.” We apply this notion to not just humans, but animals, technology, law, religion, and how societies operate around the world. The assumption is that as evolution proceeds, it’s mostly for the common good. But if that’s the case, how do we explain what’s happening with America’s legal system and cash bonds?
If you work in the bail bonding industry, you’ve long known what many others in Adams County, Broomfield County, Weld County and in other communities nationwide are just starting to grasp. Liberal-leaning bail bond reform – specifically, letting defendants stroll out of court on zero-dollar bail – isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Arguments have gone something like this:
Bail reform advocates are like a broken record, playing the same old song repeatedly. The tune is predictable. The American judicial system is evil because most states allow the use of cash bail. The cash bail system – a source of income for thousands of law-abiding, hard-working Americans – means a court decides how much money a defendant must pay to be released from jail. But for states that have outlawed the practice, the jukebox has started to play a new song.
Prisons across America are overcrowded, leading to budget woes, violence, and health issues. Supporters of bond reform insist issues like these could be solved, if we’d end the cash bail system and stop incarcerating poor people who shouldn’t be jailed in the first place. We agree on overcrowding, budget woes, violence, and health issues – but all because an offender can’t afford bail? The topic of bail bonds reform is complicated, and not often solved when you’re playing someone’s heart strings.
In a move that can only be described as Liberal Bait and Switch, Americans For Prosperity (AFP) are encouraging West Virginia lawmakers to adopt bail bonds reform adopted in New Jersey! The only problem with their effusive praise of the NJ program, which has supposedly “meaningfully lowered the burden faced by taxpayers,” is that it ignores the consequences of an 800-lb gorilla lumbering across a floor of flimsy wax paper. Namely, he crashed right through and made a huge mess.
To get your friends, loved ones, and colleagues out of jail as fast as possible all while providing superior service at the lowest possible price