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Sep 2019Houston Area Murder Renews Discussion About Bail Reform
As originally reported by Julian Gill of the Houston Chronicle, 22-year-old Alex Guajardo allegedly stabbed and killed his girlfriend after being released on personal bond for misdemeanor assault. Guajardo was originally arrested for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend. As reported by the Chronicle, Guajardo allegedly punched his girlfriend multiple times in the face. After his arrest for assault he was released on personal bond. Two days...
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29
Jul 2019Bail Industry Seeks Amendment to California Constitution
Constitutional Amendment Sought to Protect a Person’s Right to Bail In an effort to protect a defendant’s right to bail, the California bail industry is seeking an amendment to the constitution. According to a recent article published by Capital Public Radio, if successful the proposed amendment to the Constitution would be put on the November 2020 ballot right along with the now halted SB...
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21
Jun 2019Why Bail Works
Considering the Rights of a Defendant As bail reform considerations take place across the country, few people have talked about why bail was established to begin with and how eliminating bail without an adequate substitute could take away certain rights provided to a defendant. First, bail is not the enemy. Yes, there are issues in the criminal justice system. Undoubtedly, there is systemic racism and...
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17
May 2019Pre-trial Release and Algorithm-Based Judgments
Why Both Sides Agree that Bail Alternatives Don’t Solve the Problem Bail reform debates are raging across the country, but what is the alternative? Proposed algorithm-based judgments to determine pretrial release seem to exacerbate the problem. Bail reformers argue that bail discriminates against minorities and the disenfranchised, but many argue that the alternative – risk-based algorithms- only increase the likelihood for discrimination. Both sides seem...
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19
Apr 2019Case Study: Nevada Bail Legislation
A Look at Nevada’s Proposed Bail Reform Legislation Nevada is the latest state to struggle with how to reform a broken system. America’s criminal justice system is in dire need of an overhaul but legislators have yet to figure out the best way to go about it. In 2017, Nevada attempted to pass bail reform legislation but the attempt was unsuccessful. The current Nevada Legislature...
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29
Mar 2019Oversight Called for On Risk Assessment Systems
Why Many Are Questioning Whether Risk Assessment Programs Are Truly Unbiased If you have been following the bail reform debate you know that one suggested alternative to having a judge set bail is using a risk assessment program. These systems use a predictive algorithm to determine whether a person should be eligible for pretrial release. The pretrial risk assessment programs have come under scrutiny recently,...
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21
Mar 2019New York Judges Take on Bail Reform
States around the country have been puzzled by how to fix a broken criminal justice system. Everyone agrees that the system is broken, the disagreement comes when trying to determine how to solve the problem. Some states have turned their eyes to the bail bond industry. Hoping to provide a quick fix for a deep-rooted problem, they have attempted to eliminate the current bail practices. ...
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16
Mar 2019Lori Laughlin Released on $1 Million Bail
In a shocking celebrity scandal, several Hollywood A-listers were named in a college admissions scheme that shook the California coast. Lori Laughlin, Felicity Huffman and others were arrested and charged in the scandal which alleges that the actresses forged photos, tests and more to get their children into elite schools. As reported by deadline.com, Lori Loughlin was released on $1 Million bail after turning herself...
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07
Mar 2019Right to a Bail Hearing
Understanding your Rights Under California Law In California, you have a right to a bail hearing. At a bail hearing a judge may use his or her discretion to alter the initial bail amount. A bail hearing enables you to ask the judge to reduce your bail or to eliminate the bail conditions completely. Penal Code Section 1275 governs bail setting, reducing and denying. A...
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01
Mar 2019California Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules for 2019
Each year the Judicial Council of California establishes a uniform bail schedule for the State. The bail schedule standardizes how bail is set. Setting bail help to ensure the defendant’s presence at future court appearances. A judge has the discretion to modify bail for any given defendant. At a bail hearing you may request that the judge reduce or eliminate you bail requirements. The prosecution...
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