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Justice Department Says Poor Can't Be Held When They Can't Afford Bail
NBC News ^ | 08/19/16 | Pete Williams

Posted on 08/20/2016 7:01:19 PM PDT by Enlightened1

Holding defendants in jail because they can't afford to make bail is unconstitutional, the Justice Department said in a court filing late Thursday — the first time the government has taken such a position before a federal appeals court.

It's the latest step by the Obama administration in encouraging state courts to move away from imposing fixed cash bail amounts and jailing those who can't pay.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: afford; bail; justicedepartment; poor
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To: aquila48
We’re turning the country over to criminals.

Actually, that was done in 2008.

61 posted on 08/20/2016 11:11:04 PM PDT by grobdriver (Where is Wilson Blair when you need him?)
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To: Enlightened1

So, put them in jail with no bail allowed.


62 posted on 08/20/2016 11:55:13 PM PDT by taxesareforever (Islam is an ideology. It is NOT a religion.)
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To: PrairieLady2
I’m no expert on this, but it’s my understanding that when a cash bond is demanded, the full amount of the bond must be paid. So, if there is a 1 million dollar cash bond, how is someone who earns 10k per year going to come up with 10% of that? How many bondsmen are going to put up a million for a person who has no chance of ever paying that back? I’m not absolutely sure why a cash bond is different from any other kind, only that I am aware of people who have been held in confinement for weeks/months without proof of guilt and no trial, because they can’t pay it. That might be all well and good for a person who is actually guilty of something horrible bad, but without a trial there is no guilt. We are to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that’s what trials are for. If you have to wait a year or more for a trial, you can be imprisoned for all that time, and be found not guilty. The down side is when someone did something horrible bad, and they must be released until trial.

A lot of interesting questions and observations there, PrairieLady2.

So, what is your solution? What alternative do you propose instead of bail?

Regards,

63 posted on 08/21/2016 3:08:17 AM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: jsanders2001

You nailed it!


64 posted on 08/21/2016 3:15:12 AM PDT by uncitizen (Americanism NOT Globalism! - Trump)
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To: Enlightened1

This should get those ...(what were LBJs words?)...n-words back to voting for the RAT candidate again. Just in time. Hillary needs them to come back.


65 posted on 08/21/2016 3:17:31 AM PDT by uncitizen (Americanism NOT Globalism! - Trump)
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To: Theoria

Bail money is returned when (if) you show up for trial.


66 posted on 08/21/2016 3:27:06 AM PDT by metesky (My investment program is holding steady @ $0.05 cents a can.)
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To: alexander_busek

Just remember that almost all judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys all belong to the same country club. They all scratch one another’s backs and could really care less about actual guilt or innocence. If no one broke any laws, they would all be out of a job. They must protect their phony baloney jobs. This country has one of the highest percentages of incarcerated citizens. Why is that? The answer is quite simple if you refer back to my first sentence.


67 posted on 08/21/2016 3:34:02 AM PDT by eastforker (The only time you can be satisfied is when your all Trump.)
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To: metesky

Bail money is returned when (if) you show up for trial.

If you pay the full price of the cash bond. You the individual get nothing back if you use a bondsman.


68 posted on 08/21/2016 3:36:20 AM PDT by eastforker (The only time you can be satisfied is when your all Trump.)
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To: eastforker

NSS


69 posted on 08/21/2016 4:05:19 AM PDT by metesky (My investment program is holding steady @ $0.05 cents a can.)
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To: Enlightened1

Then judge, you cover the bail...or just leave the country, traitor.


70 posted on 08/21/2016 4:14:35 AM PDT by WKUHilltopper
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To: metesky

That’s the problem isn’t it? In this day and age, a simple traffic violation can run into several hundred dollars. Many people struggling from paycheck to paycheck can not come up with the money to pay some of these fines(revenue enhancement). If not paid it goes into a warrant and if stopped again more fines and jail is imposed and if jailed the bond can run into thousands of dollars and of course if they couldn’t afford the original fine they damn sure can’t afford bond which means they stay in jail. This doesn’t cost the state any money because they receive federal funds for every day the guy is incarcerated. This is where municipalities and county jails actually make their money. The whole system stinks.


71 posted on 08/21/2016 4:24:15 AM PDT by eastforker (The only time you can be satisfied is when your all Trump.)
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To: Jane Long

Some jurisdictions give you credit for time held e.g. $20/day towards your bail.


72 posted on 08/21/2016 4:50:20 AM PDT by bjorn14 (Woe to those who call good evil and evil good. Isaiah 5:20)
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To: Enlightened1

that boy in the White House has been there too long

Off with his head while America is still America


73 posted on 08/21/2016 4:52:18 AM PDT by bert ((K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;WASP .... We Frack for Peace)
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To: aquila48

Every agency of government...


74 posted on 08/21/2016 4:56:07 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Baseball players, gangsters and musicians are remembered. But journalists are forgotten.)
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To: aquila48
We’re turning the country over to criminals.

We did that in 1992, and again in 2008. And probably one more time in 2016. A significant portion of my countrymen have become stupid within my lifetime.

75 posted on 08/21/2016 4:57:02 AM PDT by Hardastarboard (This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: Death, destruction, terrorism and weakness.)
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To: little jeremiah

Well, if someone has a bail of say 10 grand, can’t they put up 10%? Since I have never been arrested, I don’t know how it works very well.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yes but when you pay the 10% to the court, you get back whatever isn’t taken for court costs and fines. As I understand it, the bondsman keeps that 10% as his fee.


76 posted on 08/21/2016 4:58:30 AM PDT by Graybeard58 (Bill and Hillary Clinton are the penicillin-resistant syphilis of our political system.)
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To: Enlightened1
SCHR files lawsuit against city of Calhoun

Walker was arrested on September 3, 2015 for the charge of ' Pedestrian Under the Influence.' (I have issues with that charge, but that is for another thread.) Because it was the Labor Day weekend, he would not be able to appear before a judge until September 9.

In that context, it's of 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of another. No cash bond system, Walker and every other person arrested for minor offenses would sit in jail until the next scheduled court date.

What is not mentioned in the NBC article is that Walker is schizophrenic (according to his attorney). If true:

Did he sober up after time had passed? Was he lucid? Was he able to answer questions appropriately? Did he exhibit behavior indicating he was able to care for himself? Would he go back to wandering the streets in the same state he was in at the time of his arrest? If he was released while exhibiting behavior consistent with schizophrenia and something happened, what then? A lawsuit against the city for negligence?

Did he have family willing to come to the jail and pay the bond? If he had family who refused to pay the bond was it because at least they knew where he was and that he was safe while he was in jail.

The questions are relevant because the courts are being used to throw the baby out with the bath water. Again. Destroy the system instead of fixing the problems.

77 posted on 08/21/2016 5:56:58 AM PDT by Protect the Bill of Rights
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To: Enlightened1

It is not Constitutional then to hold anyone. Some people should not have to pay bail when others do not have to pay bail.

This Dept of Justice is a joke.


78 posted on 08/21/2016 6:00:28 AM PDT by dforest
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To: Graybeard58
Many states don’t have bail bondsmen.

Really, I never knew that...

So there is no process in those states for someone with say a $5,000 bail to get a bond to be released until their trial?

I find that sort of amazing..

79 posted on 08/21/2016 6:28:31 AM PDT by Popman (Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. - Proverbs 14:34)
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To: imardmd1

I am torn about this. What about a poor working person making minimum wage gets accused of a crime who can’t afford bail amount. Sits in jail, loses their job, then they find out via trial, person didn’t commit the crime.

If convicted of major crime like murder then no, there should be cash bond amount.

If minor crimes, I would be in favor of ankle tracking bracelets.


80 posted on 08/21/2016 7:03:46 AM PDT by Engedi
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