This was a very interesting topic to read. Well I guess you are right when you say that law is a commodity that can be bought. If you have money then you can afford to get yourself out of jail or post bond. I was not aware that to post bond, the bondmen want a co-signer. It makes since, but if the co-signer does not know what they are getting their self into it could be very detrimental. I understand that bondsmen don’t want to waist time on small bonds. What should be done for those you committed a crime that is considered petty. I am not saying let out the criminals that commit violent crimes or even stealing. I think something that might be worth looking into is if the person is a repeat criminal then they should be denied bail. People who are in jail should be asked a series of questions that someone else has to verify; for instance is this person holding a job, do they have a family that they are supporting with this job, is their job willing to let them come to their court hearing without docking pay, or making it impossible. This would be kind of like their job is babysitting them till they can show up for their case hearing. I also liked the idea that they have the people whose crimes were less severe wear a monitor. There are many ideas that could work, and why not try them. Trying different things until something works has to be better than spending billions of tax dollars to house the inmates that don’t need to be there.
I learned a lot from what I read. I honestly didn't know you had to have a co-signer to get a bails bond. I can't believe it cost so much money to stay one night in jail, it cost more than staying in a cheap hotel or motel. I agree with wendi about looking into those repeat criminals who should be denied a bond. I think First time felons should be given bond under supervision that way maybe they won't commit any other crime, but unfortunately they will have it on their record. Spending all that money on criminals is ridiculous, all that money should be put to a good cause, of course we can’t just let criminals go, but if we could just speed up the process for them to see a judge and let them determine if they should stay in jail or to be released with a bond. But hopefully the judge isn’t like Judge Keller and just makes a ruling of the death penalty.
I agree with all the comments in this session. I believe that the reason that about 500,000 people are sitting in jail for small crimes is for the reason that the county or state wants to treat every one equally. The people who have the money up front have no problem at all to pay their bail, of course. But the sitution here lies within those who do not have the money and are waiting for thier trial and are still in jail. That to me is not fair. I agree with the idea of the ankle monitor. That way the ones who are sitting in jail (who bailbold companies do not want to get becuase little amounts of money involved) can actually be out in society providing for their families and at the same time the state has some sort of control. Also, I find it heart breaking that some people even plea guilty just so that case can move faster. It is very understanble for someone to that if the result for pleading not guilty will be to stay in jail to wait for a trial. That makes no sense!!!
I had never really thought about someone not being able to get out of jail because of $100 or $300 dollars. But it makes perfect sense that these individuals who commit petty crimes like the one man in the story who had stolen a blanket since he was living out of his car, there is no way that he would have $300 if he does not even have enough for a place to live or a blanket. I think that just because they can be put in jail for stealing or whatever other minor crime they have committed does not mean that each case should be treated the same. I think many aspects should be considered by a judge when handing out punishments as well as setting bail. First off each case is different, if it was a first offense and the person seems to acknowledge that they did something wrong, their bail should be set at an amount that they can reasonably come up with, not one that will doom them to sitting in jail until their court date. If they can return to work or any other obligations they may have it seems that they would be more likely to show up to their court date and have a less negative view of the justice system.
Obviously, there is a problem with the system if we spend $9 billion on paying people to stay in jail. The criminal justice system is meant to be an advocate of the people, that is why we have an adversarial system. But our CJ system has become so twisted that we allow a huge weakness to occur when there is really no reason. An assumption is made about the entire population, and that I that everyone who is in jail can post their bail. And because of this one simple misclassification, billions of dollars are wasted. just imagine all of the money, resources, and time that could be saved if we made a determined effort to put stereotypes behind us and learn to take each problem as a unique and special one.
Law is a commodity and it’s sad that it is. There are a lot of people sitting in jail for small misdemeanors because they can’t afford bail. They try to go to a bails bondsman seeking help but the bails bondsman won’t accept it most of the time because the fee is to low and they won’t profit from it or because the person cannot find a co-signer with good credit. The ones who are supposed to show up for their court date don’t show up because they are scared and so they flee the country or they go into hiding. Since they can’t afford to make bail they are forced to stay in jail. While they are sitting in jail they are losing their jobs, family ties, etc. One of the callers stated that judges post require bonds because the person in jail wants their case to move faster. If you have been sitting in jail for a few months you are willing to accept a plea bargain and plead guilty to something in order to get it resolved and move on with your life. The only reason they are sitting in jail that long is because they can’t pay a small fee for a petty crime meanwhile the tax payers money is being used to feed and clothed and house them in jail. Instead of putting those in jail people who commit petty crimes should have to do community service or have a supervisor watch them because putting them in jail interferes with their lives and it wastes the tax payers’ money.
After reading this article, it's surprising to learn that it's more expensive to keep and house inmates in jail than the price of them getting bailed for the crime committed. Sometimes the price for bail is just a few hundred dollars! I think tax money should be saved up for other things. There should be a different rule or policy in order for tax money to not go to waste. Some of the cases aren't serious crimes, just small ones, and the person can't bail out of jail because of the money. There should be a way for that person to pay the money, because I think it's kind of unfair if someone who commits a higher crime can bail because they have money and the other does not. Either way, this is a controversial topic on how tax money is at waste here, and how people who are unable to bail out jail end up being more expensive than their crime.
This article was very informative about the process of bail. Sadly, as mentioned in the article, some people can’t make bail that is set as little as $50. The story of the man that stole the blanket so some would probably cost less than $10 at a store ended up costing taxpayers about $6000 to $7000 for housing, clothing, and feeding him. Other options were discussed such as ankle bracelets and surveillance. As mentioned before, the law is bought and sold to the highest bidder and law is a commodity. As a crosscurrent there is a rise in the criminal justice system
Ahhh…our wonderful criminal justice system…NOT! Bail is for those who did not commit a violent crime, but yet those individuals will stay as long as those committing violent offenses all because they do not have the funds to get them out. The money tax payers pay for one person could be used in many other ways. Needing as low as $300 to be bailed out of jail versus the amount of money it takes to house that one person, means that this problem must be addressed. It is sad to see the extenuating circumstances that arouse in cases where their crime had to do directly to needed necessities (for example needing a blanket for warmth, so one steals it). A bail bondsman makes a killing with misdemeanor cases, because most bonds are not paid in full. A bail bonds man basically makes at least 5 % of one’s bond, and 10% if you show back up and don’t run. So, on the whole a bail bondsman has the upper hand of the deal (maybe a bail bondsman is in my future career…just kidding). And if all else fails…… if you can’t do the fine, then don’t do the time!
This was a very interesting subject and very relative to our society today especially funding. I admire Sullivan for even researching this type of issue. If we solved this problem, government would have more funds to be available in providing more services and facilities for our youth. The government is always talking about we don't have funds, but it clear to me that we are spending some of them unneccessarily. We need better budget!
This is a very interesting article. I do find it amazing how there are very low bail amounts and a person cannot afford to pay it, but the real question is can this person really not afford it or would they rather be in a place where they get 3 hots and a cot. From personal knowledge I have interact with inmates and it was not due to the fact they could not afford to get out it was the fact that they did not have a place to stay.
Well considering how people that are much more well off then others this article makes a lot of sense and we witness it all the time! Especially with celebrities and individuals that are much better off. They can afford bail. With celebrities, their time served is always shorter than others. Looking at the prices to stay one night in jail is ridiculously expensive, and that is just one night alone. Sometimes, it is just easier to stay those few nights or months because in the long run it is cheaper to miss those days at work than to drop all that cash on not staying behind bars for a little bit. I completely agree with the previous blogs made. People are sitting in jail, taking up all that space, because those people cannot make bail for a small misdemeanor. That space can be used for much more people that actually need to be locked up as opposed to a few DWI’s or whatever the crime may be. It is awful to think innocent people’s tax money is going to things like that. Like what one of the previous bloggers said, “Law is a commodity, and it’s sad.” I second that.
This was a very interesting topic to read. Well I guess you are right when you say that law is a commodity that can be bought. If you have money then you can afford to get yourself out of jail or post bond. I was not aware that to post bond, the bondmen want a co-signer. It makes since, but if the co-signer does not know what they are getting their self into it could be very detrimental. I understand that bondsmen don’t want to waist time on small bonds. What should be done for those you committed a crime that is considered petty. I am not saying let out the criminals that commit violent crimes or even stealing. I think something that might be worth looking into is if the person is a repeat criminal then they should be denied bail. People who are in jail should be asked a series of questions that someone else has to verify; for instance is this person holding a job, do they have a family that they are supporting with this job, is their job willing to let them come to their court hearing without docking pay, or making it impossible. This would be kind of like their job is babysitting them till they can show up for their case hearing. I also liked the idea that they have the people whose crimes were less severe wear a monitor. There are many ideas that could work, and why not try them. Trying different things until something works has to be better than spending billions of tax dollars to house the inmates that don’t need to be there.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from what I read. I honestly didn't know you had to have a co-signer to get a bails bond. I can't believe it cost so much money to stay one night in jail, it cost more than staying in a cheap hotel or motel. I agree with wendi about looking into those repeat criminals who should be denied a bond. I think First time felons should be given bond under supervision that way maybe they won't commit any other crime, but unfortunately they will have it on their record. Spending all that money on criminals is ridiculous, all that money should be put to a good cause, of course we can’t just let criminals go, but if we could just speed up the process for them to see a judge and let them determine if they should stay in jail or to be released with a bond. But hopefully the judge isn’t like Judge Keller and just makes a ruling of the death penalty.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the comments in this session. I believe that the reason that about 500,000 people are sitting in jail for small crimes is for the reason that the county or state wants to treat every one equally. The people who have the money up front have no problem at all to pay their bail, of course. But the sitution here lies within those who do not have the money and are waiting for thier trial and are still in jail. That to me is not fair. I agree with the idea of the ankle monitor. That way the ones who are sitting in jail (who bailbold companies do not want to get becuase little amounts of money involved) can actually be out in society providing for their families and at the same time the state has some sort of control. Also, I find it heart breaking that some people even plea guilty just so that case can move faster. It is very understanble for someone to that if the result for pleading not guilty will be to stay in jail to wait for a trial. That makes no sense!!!
ReplyDeleteI had never really thought about someone not being able to get out of jail because of $100 or $300 dollars. But it makes perfect sense that these individuals who commit petty crimes like the one man in the story who had stolen a blanket since he was living out of his car, there is no way that he would have $300 if he does not even have enough for a place to live or a blanket. I think that just because they can be put in jail for stealing or whatever other minor crime they have committed does not mean that each case should be treated the same. I think many aspects should be considered by a judge when handing out punishments as well as setting bail. First off each case is different, if it was a first offense and the person seems to acknowledge that they did something wrong, their bail should be set at an amount that they can reasonably come up with, not one that will doom them to sitting in jail until their court date. If they can return to work or any other obligations they may have it seems that they would be more likely to show up to their court date and have a less negative view of the justice system.
ReplyDeleteObviously, there is a problem with the system if we spend $9 billion on paying people to stay in jail. The criminal justice system is meant to be an advocate of the people, that is why we have an adversarial system. But our CJ system has become so twisted that we allow a huge weakness to occur when there is really no reason. An assumption is made about the entire population, and that I that everyone who is in jail can post their bail. And because of this one simple misclassification, billions of dollars are wasted. just imagine all of the money, resources, and time that could be saved if we made a determined effort to put stereotypes behind us and learn to take each problem as a unique and special one.
ReplyDeleteLaw is a commodity and it’s sad that it is. There are a lot of people sitting in jail for small misdemeanors because they can’t afford bail. They try to go to a bails bondsman seeking help but the bails bondsman won’t accept it most of the time because the fee is to low and they won’t profit from it or because the person cannot find a co-signer with good credit. The ones who are supposed to show up for their court date don’t show up because they are scared and so they flee the country or they go into hiding. Since they can’t afford to make bail they are forced to stay in jail. While they are sitting in jail they are losing their jobs, family ties, etc. One of the callers stated that judges post require bonds because the person in jail wants their case to move faster. If you have been sitting in jail for a few months you are willing to accept a plea bargain and plead guilty to something in order to get it resolved and move on with your life. The only reason they are sitting in jail that long is because they can’t pay a small fee for a petty crime meanwhile the tax payers money is being used to feed and clothed and house them in jail. Instead of putting those in jail people who commit petty crimes should have to do community service or have a supervisor watch them because putting them in jail interferes with their lives and it wastes the tax payers’ money.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, it's surprising to learn that it's more expensive to keep and house inmates in jail than the price of them getting bailed for the crime committed. Sometimes the price for bail is just a few hundred dollars! I think tax money should be saved up for other things. There should be a different rule or policy in order for tax money to not go to waste. Some of the cases aren't serious crimes, just small ones, and the person can't bail out of jail because of the money. There should be a way for that person to pay the money, because I think it's kind of unfair if someone who commits a higher crime can bail because they have money and the other does not. Either way, this is a controversial topic on how tax money is at waste here, and how people who are unable to bail out jail end up being more expensive than their crime.
ReplyDeleteThis article was very informative about the process of bail. Sadly, as mentioned in the article, some people can’t make bail that is set as little as $50. The story of the man that stole the blanket so some would probably cost less than $10 at a store ended up costing taxpayers about $6000 to $7000 for housing, clothing, and feeding him. Other options were discussed such as ankle bracelets and surveillance. As mentioned before, the law is bought and sold to the highest bidder and law is a commodity. As a crosscurrent there is a rise in the criminal justice system
ReplyDeleteAhhh…our wonderful criminal justice system…NOT! Bail is for those who did not commit a violent crime, but yet those individuals will stay as long as those committing violent offenses all because they do not have the funds to get them out. The money tax payers pay for one person could be used in many other ways.
ReplyDeleteNeeding as low as $300 to be bailed out of jail versus the amount of money it takes to house that one person, means that this problem must be addressed. It is sad to see the extenuating circumstances that arouse in cases where their crime had to do directly to needed necessities (for example needing a blanket for warmth, so one steals it).
A bail bondsman makes a killing with misdemeanor cases, because most bonds are not paid in full. A bail bonds man basically makes at least 5 % of one’s bond, and 10% if you show back up and don’t run. So, on the whole a bail bondsman has the upper hand of the deal (maybe a bail bondsman is in my future career…just kidding).
And if all else fails…… if you can’t do the fine, then don’t do the time!
This was a very interesting subject and very relative to our society today especially funding. I admire Sullivan for even researching this type of issue. If we solved this problem, government would have more funds to be available in providing more services and facilities for our youth. The government is always talking about we don't have funds, but it clear to me that we are spending some of them unneccessarily. We need better budget!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting article. I do find it amazing how there are very low bail amounts and a person cannot afford to pay it, but the real question is can this person really not afford it or would they rather be in a place where they get 3 hots and a cot. From personal knowledge I have interact with inmates and it was not due to the fact they could not afford to get out it was the fact that they did not have a place to stay.
ReplyDeleteWell considering how people that are much more well off then others this article makes a lot of sense and we witness it all the time! Especially with celebrities and individuals that are much better off. They can afford bail. With celebrities, their time served is always shorter than others. Looking at the prices to stay one night in jail is ridiculously expensive, and that is just one night alone. Sometimes, it is just easier to stay those few nights or months because in the long run it is cheaper to miss those days at work than to drop all that cash on not staying behind bars for a little bit. I completely agree with the previous blogs made. People are sitting in jail, taking up all that space, because those people cannot make bail for a small misdemeanor. That space can be used for much more people that actually need to be locked up as opposed to a few DWI’s or whatever the crime may be. It is awful to think innocent people’s tax money is going to things like that. Like what one of the previous bloggers said, “Law is a commodity, and it’s sad.” I second that.
ReplyDelete