NPR Reports on the Bail Bond System
NPR has a fascinating report on the state of the bail bond system in the United States. Part one of three was posted yesterday, and discussed the situation in Lubbock, Texas, which is not dissimilar to how most of the country functions. Some highlights from the story include:
- 2/3 of the people currently in U.S. jails are there because they cannot make bail.
- The ability to make bail plays a substantial role in getting reduced sentences.
- Bail is now typically set at what a judge thinks a defendant can afford to pay a bondsman, not what they can afford to pay (e.g. a $10,000 bail if they can afford $1000).
This is a devastating story that highlights the interaction of the privatized world of commercial bondsmen with the public one of district attorney’s offices, judges, public defenders, and law enforcement.
Part two of three was posted this morning, and focuses on the consequences of the bail bonds – the positive side nobody talks about, both to jails and to inmates.
Edited to Add: Part three of three was posted this afternoon and discusses one county’s successful pre-trial release program which was slashed due to an effective lobbying effort by the bail bondsmen in that county.