A California Supreme Court Ruling Requires Judges to Weigh Whether Defendant Can Post Bail A California Supreme Court decision issued on March 25, 2021, requires judges to consider the defendant’s ability to pay when setting bail. A trial court must determine whether a defendant has the financial resources and whether less restrictive alternatives are available. Less restrictive alternatives that can be considered include “electronic monitoring,...
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Noting Public Safety Concerns, Orange County Judge Declines Bail Reduction The 2018 Holy Fire burned 23,000 acres according to The Mercury News. It quickly spread across Orange County and Riverside County eventually “destroying 18 structures including a dozen cabins.” Prosecutors believe that the devastating fire was started by Forrest Clark. If convicted Clark would face a life sentence. As reported by The Mercury News, Clark...
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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...
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Bail has been a part of justice systems throughout the world since Medieval Times. And, after all these years, it can be said that the bail system has been successful in assisting offenders who are granted bail for their release while they await their trials. In fact, these offenders are more likely to appear at all their court dates because they ultimately have involved their...
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Since the launching of AB 109 Realignment on October 1, 2011, there have been many debates regarding the review of the program’s success…or not. It appears that the California State Prisons have shifted their overcrowding problem to the county jail levels, which are totally unprepared for the massive influx of inmates and in a quandary as to how to handle this problem sufficiently. Funding for...
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