For profit bail bond industry
- Thread starter Cuddles
- Start date
Interesting they used Washington DC as an example of where bail bonds have not been used for twenty years. Instead, they have a government funded group of people who interview the defendant and process paperwork. The crime rate in DC and nearby Maryland is still rediculous.
I know of a person in Bellevue, WA who was caught shop lifting and was apparently over-charged with a felony. They let him out, his state supplied attorney screwed up his case, and this defendant was found guilty of a felony.
This defendant did not show up at his sentencing hearing, where he was likely looking at a three year prison term.
Interestingly, the word is that he no longer does shoplifting for a living. Instead he does a confidence con artist scam involving his system for gambling.
This video shows also a individual who successfully completed a DC sponsored drug rehabilitation program. While we need rehabilitation programs that are effective, after decades of trying, we have not found any that remotely justifies the cost of these programs. Look at Alan Greenspan's testimony to Maxine Waters in Congress. There is a thread on ET with the YouTube video of their exchange on this subject.
The most important ingredients in substance abuse rehabilitation involve a time out, a support group, and professional counciling. It is probably best that a rehabilitation program take place away from the general population of a jail. An active user who is immediately released will not stop using on his own and will continue to violate various laws related to him obtaining and using drugs. The vast majority of crimes in the United States are drug related.
There are some people who you can't rehabilitate. Repeated rehabilitation attempts is a waste of resources after a certain number of attempts. Jail or exile to a target country is the best solution for society in these cases. By the way, the U.S. has been a target country for exiled criminals from other countries such as Cuba, Mexico, and apparently Russia to some extent.
Until we get serious on the war on drugs, we will continue to feed a huge system of courts, jails, and lawyers. In addition, society will pay a huge cost due to drug related theft, broken families, and violence. Perhaps our system does not want to see successes in the war on drugs because of reduced political control and less job opportunities for their peers.
I wonder if the "tough love" and no bullspit attitude displayed by the bondsmen may make them effective councilors. While that may seem ironic, basic training in the military has been very effective in transforming lives and attitudes in young people within a short time frame. Older drug abusers would not be so easy to transform, but I would like to see a rehabilitation program based on military basic training principles.
Many repeat offenders, when drugs are not controlling them, are people who want the structure provided by our prison system in their lives. Seems to me, these people and society would benefit from them getting their "structure" from basic training and becoming productive members of our community.
No argument that everyone has the right to a speedy trial. Having someone locked up for months and months, let alone years is a clear violation of rights. I'm all for lower bond rate for misdemeanor crimes, with the caveat of, if those crimes are committed while participating in a riot the bail will be set considerably higher. 500 large as was an example shown is IMO too high, but released on O.R., and/or a couple grand would be too low. The opinion of the radical leftist lawyer that bond should be set on the ability to pay is absurd and another bastardization of the 14th amendment. So a minimum wage worker commits murder, rape and the like and his bail should be what, 2500 bucks? Silly. I'm all for opportunities for drug rehab, especially first offenders, even second and third offenders, so long as crimes committed while high are non violent. I'm very sympathetic towards those with substance abuse problems and I know first hand how hard it is to get clean. That said, you keep fucking up and at some point the hammer has to drop. Consequences are the best motivation to sober up alcoholics and clean up drug addicts. I do extensive work in the recovery community, have had the problems myself, and know the battle up close and personal. I also know that alcoholics and drug addicts are full of shit up to their ears while using, will blame everything and everyone for their problems, and will cry you a sad sack story time and again. Still they deserve a couple opportunities to clean up rather than sit in the can. It's complicated and there are no quick fixes, be it locking them up for lengthy periods or just letting them go with a slap. Neither approach has worked, nor will those extremes work in the future. The answer is in the middle and will be costly, but I think not as costly as it is now doing what we're doing.
Or just do away w/them altogether?
I don't see how you could glean that out of my comment. Apparently you're not interested in a serious discussion.
Just countering your mental gymnastics to justify an industry that should not exist
Or maybe I could just take the hard line and say, quit breaking the fucking law and you have no worries about the evil bail bondsman.
oh, ok, and in the event of no wrong doing they should stay for months or years locked up as they await their day in court.
WTF, can't you read? Jesus Christ, I addressed that in my opening lines. This is what I mean about you fucking guys. You have a narrative and anyone who doesn't completely fall in line with it is the enemy and wrong on all counts. basically I'm agreeing with the premise of helping people first rather than locking them up, but that's not good enough for the lefty. Everyone has to get a pass for life, commit any crimes they like for as long as they like and bail should be a dollar if you're poor. This is why you guys are considered to be fucking nuts.