Sexism, Lawlessness, Tourism, and Despicable Profiteering...

I'm not a bail bondsman, but I interviewed a few for this article. Although I did meet some nice guys who focus on "low stress" apprehensions in hawaiian shirts and sandals, I came to other conclusions about how useful and just the industry is in the grand scheme of things.

Your comments, as people who know the industry, are more than welcome.

All the best,

http://kiltsandcocaine.wordpress.com/20 ... -industry/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Are your serious?

If you were maybe you would have spent more time doing some research and not come up with the jaded, often repeated lies about bail and also resorted to the name calling.

I've deleted my comments on this one. It really deserves no attention.

Bill

_________________
Bill Williams
Bail Agent
Eagle Bonding Services
Asheville NC 28804
828-777-8667
Lic # NC10013561
Lic # TN 2033018

Never be haughty to the humble
or humble to the haughty - Jefferson Davis

Your not a journalist either... but I bet you stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last nite.... which qualifies you....

Oh, sorry... I thought this thread was an autobiography of this particular author.... I'm still trying to figure out what "Kilts and Cocaine" have in common.... is Tim from Colorado?

"I think one fact in this narrative is obvious.... Tokkertim has toked too much..."

Nothing can be accomplished by addressing this clown... just ignore him and he will fade into the sunset with his bong....

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

I don't think bondsmen are necessarily despicable, but I think that an average bail of 39K and more on average for ethnic minorities, in addition to the "G.I. Joe" adventure mentality that is pushed by some certification schools and bounty hunters is incredibly disgusting and unjust. The criminals they're chasing are often non violent drug offenders, with their bongs, who are violently apprehended after getting too stoned to remember their court date. How does that benefit society? Tax payers pay 40K-100K in California to put people in prison- that's more than what the average middle class worker makes annually. How can you justify your occupation?

grabbing my popcorn for this one ....

_________________
JEFF P.
Limited Surety Agent (FL) - License # P_2O8124_
Private Investigator (FL) - License # C_27OOO33_
NABBI Member



"Surprise Sex is the Best Thing to Wake up to, UNLESS, You are in Jail... "

Can not wait to get back to my office to reply.

sent from my cell phone...

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

Sir or madam,

First off you are comparing apples to oranges. We have nothing to do with the cost of PRISON incarceration.

On top of that, not everyone that is arrested and even convicted, goes to state prison.

Secondly, don't know where you got your "average bail amount" from, but it is no way near $39,000 or even higher in California. I've worked in CA as a bail agent for 15 years and I never averaged any where near $39k for bails I posted.

Third, where is the proof that minority defendants have higher average bail amounts? Show us the facts.

Now before you call me racist, I am a minority in CA!

You can not simply look at a persons bail amount and say it is higher because they are black, hispanic or Asian. If you did any research on your own, you would have found out that California uses a pre set, written bail schedule.

Everyone arrested for the same crime is charged the same bail amount at the time of their arrest. Period!

Fourth, when defendants go to court they can have their bail raised, lower or even cited out on O.R. Do you know what O.R. mean?

If the persons bail amount is changed by the court, it is based on prior criminal history, failures to appear or ties to the community. If the court deems a defendant a flight risk or a risk to public safety, the court is obligated to set the bail amount accordingly.

Finally, stop using that old argument that all minorities are poor and can't afford the bail amount set.

Ninety percent of my clients are minorities. At least half of them don't have "jobs." At least not legal jobs. Very few of them ever have a problem of coming up with the 10% bail premium.

And stop the BS about that most of the defendants are arrested simply for drug use. That is just a plain out lie, put out by the pre trial people to make it seem like everyone arrested is arrested for just drug use.

It aint so!

So, if you are trying to be an aspiring journalist, a famous blogger or peoples crusader, then you better do better research and stop just copying what you read in Mother Jones, NPR or the pre trial agencies.

One more thing. How can lawyers justify their occupation? They get paid whether or not they successfully defend their clients or not. So they profit off their clients misfortune?

How about the prosecutor? They profit whether or not the get a conviction.

Should police be penalized if they make a mistake when they "falsely" arrest someone?

But disgusting bail agents and surety companies should not be allowed to operate. Yet, bail agents are the only ones that faces consequences if they fail to get their clients to court. No other entity in the system is held personally liable for mistakes or failures they make.

If you think the rest of the world is so great as to how they handle their criminals, look at Mexico. A US marine has been in custody for making a driving mistake for over 3 months and has yet to go to court for an arraignment.

Mexico doesn't have a bail system.

And just google jail over crowding and see how many other "enlightened" countries are dealing with jail and prison costs including our neighbor to the north.

You have a lot to learn.

One last thing, if you really want to learn about bail, call me any time. I would be more than happy to enlighten you.

Fuckin good arguments, Tony. I will reply in more detail a bit later, but just outta the gate, here are a few of my sources...

Actually that 39K figure as for 1992, it's doubled since then...

"Bail Fail: Why the U.S. Should End the Practice of Money for Bail shows how the average bail amount for people who are detained has more than doubled from $39,800 in 1992 to $89,900 in 2006."

From here:
http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/4364

Also, it doesn't work to use Mexico as an example of a country where the bail doesn't exist and criminals don't show, because Mexico is an underdeveloped country where there is no rule of law whatsoever. Using a European country or developed Asian country would be more legit, but the thing is, the commercial bail industry is "all but unknown in the rest of the world. In England, Canada and other countries, agreeing to pay a defendant’s bond in exchange for money is a crime akin to witness tampering or bribing a juror — a form of obstruction of justice."

From here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/us/29 ... =all&_r=1&

Also, as for my claim about minorities, it came from here:

http://islandia.law.yale.edu/ayers/A%20 ... etting.pdf

Some quotes from this study:

"In 1991, the Hartford Courant reported that bail amounts for black defendants were, on average, more than 70 percent higher than for white defendants."

"Our analysis of 1118 New Haven arrests reveals that after controlling for eleven variables relating to the severity of the alleged offense,
bail amounts set for black male defendants were 35 percent higher than those set for their white male counterparts."

This study is old, 1994, which weakens my argument, I admit. I will endeavor to find more current evidence.

I do very much respect your anecdotal arguments... you made several very good points, especially that no one else in the justice system is penalized like bondsmen. Touche. However, the articles above do present some equally valid points. The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world with such a system, and it doesn't seem to be working out well for us.