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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22
Feb 2019High-Speed Chase Suspect Held on $150K Bail
In Southern California, we are not surprised when we see a high-speed chase on the news. If you watch the local news throughout the week, you will undoubtedly see at least one. This week proved no different. NBC4 Los Angeles reported on Filberto Alexander Felix who was arrested after allegedly stealing a Tesla in Riverside. According to the news report he led police on a...
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15
Feb 2019Kentucky Considers Bail Reform Legislation
The Kentucky House Judiciary Committee heard testimony last week from judges about the potential of bail reform. Advocates of reform argue that judges need to take into consideration a person’s inability to pay when determining the appropriate bail amount. Judges argue that they are already taking an individual’s situation into consideration when setting bail for a defendant. The committee heard testimony from a number of...
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08
Feb 2019Bail Set at $90k for Hot Dog Stand Attacker
Bail was set at $90,000 for a man accused of punching two women at a hot dog stand in California. The vicious attack occurred on January 26 in Los Angeles. The video of the altercation went viral showing a man violently punching two women. The altercation apparently began with a dispute over the price of a hotdog. The Los Angeles Police Department distributed the video...
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31
Jan 2019Reducing Recidivism with Recovery
How One Jail is Shifting the Focus Jail overcrowding is a problem faced by law enforcement across the nation. This has led to a public outcry for criminal justice reform. Without question, most people agree that criminal justice reform should happen – the problem remains how to effectively do it. One solution takes a new look at the problem. What if jails focused on reducing...
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24
Jan 2019The Risky Business of Risk Assessment
One aspect of the bail reform debate that often gets overlooked is the system that would replace cash bonds for pretrial release. Too many people seem to forget that cash bail has been a part of our criminal justice system since its inception with roots to England in the Middle Ages. Bail has evolved over the last two hundred years. The United States has passed...
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17
Jan 2019SB10 (California Bail Reform Law) Update: Veto Referendum Successful
SB10, California’s Money Bail Reform Law, would have effectively eliminated the commercial bail system from the criminal justice system. A united group of opponents to the law banded together to launch an effective effort to obtain enough signatures to stop the implementation of the bill in October 2019. According to the Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, the referendum was successful in obtaining enough valid signatures...
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