13
May 2020Zero Bail Order Sees Re-arrests within Days
California $0 Bail Order Results in Re-Arrests of Some Offenders In an effort to slow the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus, the California Judicial Council adopted 11 emergency rules including the approval of an Emergency Bail Schedule. The statewide Emergency Bail Schedule set bail at $0 for all misdemeanor and some felony offenses. The Judicial Council, in Emergency rule 4, made the application of the...
Read More
06
Apr 2020California Considers Reducing Bail to $0 For Some Offenses Amid Coronavirus Fears
Judicial Council of California to Rule on a Number of Emergency Measures According to multiple news agencies, including ABC10, the Judicial Council of California has met to discuss and adopt several emergency rules in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to a Report of their meeting the council is discussing the following: “Suspend the entry of defaults in unlawful detainer actions; Suspend judicial foreclosures;...
Read More
01
Mar 2020New York Bail Reform Meets Criticism from Both Sides
The Bail Reform Debate rages on across the country. New York’s passage of a statewide act has met scrutiny from both sides of the political divide. As reported by The Washington Post, the new law took effect January 1 and almost immediately met backlash. While unlike California’s law which if successful on the November 2020 ballot would eliminate cash bail altogether, New York’s law allows...
Read More
10
Jan 2020New Year, New Laws
A Brief Recap of Some of the New Laws Affecting Californians in 2020 California legislators were busy in 2019 writing hundreds of new laws that will take effect this month and in the future. This article will touch on a few major areas that will affect Californians in 2020 and beyond. Gun Regulations A host of new gun laws were put into effect including limiting...
Read More
06
Dec 2019Bail Reform Faces Backlash in Greene County
Law Enforcement Officers Question Efficacy of Recent Bail Reform Legislation Bail reform legislation set to go into effect on January 1, 2020 is meeting reservation from the citizens of Greene County. According to a recent article by Hudson Valley 360, “County lawmakers and police officers are taking a stand against state-mandated bail reforms coming Jan 1.” One of the main concerns presented by the Greene...
Read More
04
Nov 2019Voters Undecided About 2020 Bail Reform
29% of Voters Are Unsure of How They Will Vote on Bail Reform in 2020 According to a recent poll conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies for the Los Angeles Times, “29% of voters are undecided” whether they would vote to cancel the new bail reform initiative or keep it in place. The Los Angeles Times notes that California voters as a...
Read More
01
Oct 2019Common Types of Bonds
A Brief Explanation of the Most Common Types of Bail Bonds There seems to be a lot of misconception about bail bonds in today’s media. Many people are unclear exactly how bail works and what options are available. Surety Bonds A surety bond is what people typically think of when they imagine posting bail. When posting the full amount of bail is not feasible, a...
Read More
01
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More