California ends cash bail

[Jhhnn]

Dunno what it all means but it kills the bail bond racket in CA.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Less institutional class war and racism is a good thing.

And you think that's the end result here? How adorably naive.

California just essentially washed their hands of the problem and surrendered. They turned over all responsibility to the courts, each of which will make up their own rules. For every one that determines that minorities are oppressed by the cash bail system and be more lenient, others will come out with a completely different result of their own agenda-ized "risk assessment" and determine that many minorities are greater threats, higher flight risks and withhold or restrict bail. This isn't a good law, it's a cop out. Now every person that's held by court district A on a similar charge that gets you released by court district B will be screaming bloody murder.

 

[K1052]

And you think that's the end result here? How adorably naive.

California just essentially washed their hands of the problem and surrendered. They turned over all responsibility to the courts, each of which will make up their own rules. For every one that determines that minorities are oppressed by the cash bail system and be more lenient, others will come out with a completely different result of their own agenda-ized "risk assessment" and determine that many minorities are greater threats, higher flight risks and withhold or restrict bail. This isn't a good law, it's a cop out. Now every person that's held by court district A on a similar charge that gets you released by court district B will be screaming bloody murder.

The Judicial Council seems to be the body setting how assessments will be done though courts will have a lot of power in the process. There is indeed a real concern about this raising up detention rates in places. I expect the state government will have to revisit this in the coming years to set further standards and protections. Pushing the money out of the equation is a long term good though.

 

[Jaskalas]

Losing months of your life on a mere accusation is an issue. That's why bail exists in the first place. Problem is, the system is broken as people are too poor to pay it. So the original judicial / legal / moral issue stands. This solves the issue for poor people.

 

[Zorba]

It's more like someone with no money gets a $1000 bail for a first time drug thing or whatever, sits in jail for months due to no money, then the DA drops charges for whatever reason. This has happened thousands of times in every state.

Anyone who thinks that isn't messed up has a brain deficiency.

I understand that. But the article makes it sound like if you are charged with assault or your third DUI that you will sit in prison on remand with no possibility of bail, which is also messed up.

I completely agree with getting rid of cash bail on lesser offenses, but at least the way the article is written it makes it sound like they are fixing one problem while creating another.

 

[jackstar7]

And you think that's the end result here? How adorably naive.

California just essentially washed their hands of the problem and surrendered. They turned over all responsibility to the courts, each of which will make up their own rules. For every one that determines that minorities are oppressed by the cash bail system and be more lenient, others will come out with a completely different result of their own agenda-ized "risk assessment" and determine that many minorities are greater threats, higher flight risks and withhold or restrict bail. This isn't a good law, it's a cop out. Now every person that's held by court district A on a similar charge that gets you released by court district B will be screaming bloody murder.

Cool.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Yes, they'll be a warrant for their arrest, but there's too many of those are going around already...

Offtopic but related - Anyone know how they catch or find people with a warrant? I always figured that most warrants are caught if they get pulled over... other than that, I'm not aware of them seeking them out and going to where they live or anything?

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

it's not just wasting taxpayer dollars. for low-income individuals, that loss of income can be financially crippling. if you're living paycheck to paycheck, and you sit in jail for 2 months because you can't post bail....you're pretty boned, even if you're found innocent at trial.

Very true - I'll definitely agree here. I PRESUME that being in jail because you can't post bail doesn't stop your apartment contract from lapsing - all the while you can't work to make up the rent money.

I can definitely see how that would fuck someone over BIG TIME.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I can't really tell from the OP, but does this mean that people who would've had a high bail in the past may face remand?

I think this is a great idea for the people who faced low bails, but not sure about people with higher bails. It also says prior to arraignment, so is a normal cash bail set at arraignment?

Isn't the point of a high bail because a bail bondsman is less likely to give them the benefit of the doubt if they don't have the funds to begin with?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Fun fact: California is not unique. Baltimore has been doing something similar for a couple of years in the interest of easing the burden of bail and releasing people who are accused of minor crimes and can't afford bail. But Baltimore is also doing something similar to the Liberal winderland state and are applying an in depth algorithm of risk management, assessments of flight potential, danger to the community, past arrests, severity of charges, etc.

Anyone want to try to guess how this has worked in the real world? C'mon, you can do it if you have one brain cell and while that's beyond several of the biggest "progressive" fanboys here, the rest of you should be able to handle it.

In the real world, the number of poor people with good records, little money and accused of minor crimes being held without bail is WAY down. And the number of people with dodgy records, long arrest histories and no ties to the community that are being held without any chance of bail under the new risk assessment is WAY up. Anyone want to guess the demographics of the people that are on the wrong end of the new way of thinking and are being held longer than before because they're bad risks? Go ahead, take a stab.

The same program which is working as its intended to work and is freeing the non-dangerous is hailed as an end to class warfare and institutional racism while its simultaneously viewed as a weapon of class warfare and institutional racism because it's working exactly as intended and is being harder on the more dangerous.

 

[Jhhnn]

Isn't the point of a high bail because a bail bondsman is less likely to give them the benefit of the doubt if they don't have the funds to begin with?

Bondsmen actually represent the party who promises to pay the court if the accused fails to show. That can be anybody, including the accused. They front the money for their client to the court & take a fee to do so. Should the accused fail to show, they'll try to track them down, have them detained, again for a fee from their client. If they don't, then the client must pay the bondsman the amount he fronted for them at some point or another. It's contractual.

Depending on the circumstances, the amount & the financial situation of the client a bondsman may demand property as collateral for the front money. I know this because I recently engaged a bondsman for a friend.

 

[jackstar7]

Fun fact: California is not unique. Baltimore has been doing something similar for a couple of years in the interest of easing the burden of bail and releasing people who are accused of minor crimes and can't afford bail. But Baltimore is also doing something similar to the Liberal winderland state and are applying an in depth algorithm of risk management, assessments of flight potential, danger to the community, past arrests, severity of charges, etc.

Anyone want to try to guess how this has worked in the real world? C'mon, you can do it if you have one brain cell and while that's beyond several of the biggest "progressive" fanboys here, the rest of you should be able to handle it.

In the real world, the number of poor people with good records, little money and accused of minor crimes being held without bail is WAY down. And the number of people with dodgy records, long arrest histories and no ties to the community that are being held without any chance of bail under the new risk assessment is WAY up. Anyone want to guess the demographics of the people that are on the wrong end of the new way of thinking and are being held longer than before because they're bad risks? Go ahead, take a stab.

The same program which is working as its intended to work and is freeing the non-dangerous is hailed as an end to class warfare and institutional racism while its simultaneously viewed as a weapon of class warfare and institutional racism because it's working exactly as intended and is being harder on the more dangerous.

Are there pills you take... or should be taking?

You seem really angry about something here.