The Professional Bondsmen of Texas- Blog

  The Minnesota nonprofit is shifting its focus away from directly posting pretrial bail and bonds for criminal suspects. The decision will go into place on June 1.   The nonprofit was founded in 2016, and following the death of George Floyd in 2020, the group received $42 million in donations from all over the world. Since then, the group has supported thousands of people by investing $33.2 million directly into “freeing people from cages and resourcing organizations in the fight for racial justice.” * * * * The organization said they can’t sustain bailing and bonding their way out of the “harmful systems of pretrial detention and immigration detention,” and need to utilize their resources to push for positive change. The executive director of Minnesota Freedom Fund, Elizer Darris, released the following statement: “Today, Minnesota Freedom Fund announced a strategic shift away from paying pretrial bails and immigration bonds . . . " To see more CLICK HERE .

The Texas Legislature is in full swing.  A few weeks ago, the House Criminal Jurisprudence committee was conducting a hearing on multiple bail bills.  The ACLU of Texas gave testimony highlighting a story alleging that a defendant was lost in the Harris County jail for 18 years without  a conviction before his case was dismissed.  Of course, the headline was not correct.  A defendant had been arrested for capital murder and found incompetent to stand trial.  What followed was a cycle of the defendant being sent for treatment for several years, then moved back to the county jail to be re-evaluated to determine whether he was now competent to stand trial.  The cycle was repeated multiple times.  On this episode of The Bail Post we talk about mental health issues in the Criminal Justice System.  Contrary to what was reported to the House committee, the problem was a mental health issue not a bail issue.  Our guest is Ramey Heddins from MHMR...

On this episode, we talk immigration, deportations and bail.  Our Guest is Randy Adler.  Randy is a very good friend and we have known each other for many years.  Randy has been practicing bail law in the state of Texas for over 40 years.  On this episode we discuss what bondsmen can do when they post a bail bond for a defendant and then learn that there is a ICE hold.  This is an issue that has grown in importance with the changes made by the Trump administration regarding the border, illegal immigration and deportations.  How do these changes impact ongoing criminal cases?  Find out on this episode of The Bail Post.  Also, on this episode we discuss the "Ex Parte Clear" case and an article written by the Municipal Association entitled "Clear as Mud."  We discuss these cases from the perspective of the bail industry regarding seeking a warrant pursuant to article 17.19 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Finally, we discuss the passing ...

With much sorrow, we announce the death of a member of the PBT family and the bail community.  PBT Boardmember Charlie Pickens has died!  Charlie was a very important member of the bail industry.  Charlie along with Justin from his office were instrumental in designing and developing the PBT Call to Action and Click to Dial System that PBT currently uses at the Texas Legislature.  In the last couple of years, Charlie and Justin redesigned the system to allow PBT to offer it to other states to use to assist them before their legislatures.   Charlie is also a member of the PBT-PR Committee and was a part of the team that developed the PBT podcast "The Bail Post" which is regularly ranked as one of the best Criminal Justice Podcasts.  Charlie designed the artwork that is currently being used for the podcast.  Also, as a member of the PR Committee he and Justin were instrumental in developing tools to allow for the analysis of large amounts of data to...

  What A Federal Kidnapping Case Means For Recovery Agents by Ken W. Good (This article originally appeared in Law 360)  was published on March 7, 2025) Stephanie Plum, the fictional bounty hunter in Janet Evanovich's popular book series, often turns her misadventures into comedy. But in real life, the business of tracking down fugitives is no laughing matter. Wayne Lozier, a licensed recovery agent — colloquially referred to as a "bounty hunter" — from Louisiana, found himself facing federal kidnapping charges after apprehending a defendant who had skipped court. Despite working under a lawful contract with a bail bondsman and with a valid warrant, Lozier's actions led to a 10-year prison sentence, until a December decision in U.S. v. Lozier in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed the ruling and ordered a new trial. This case raises pressing questions for attorneys giving advice about the risks surrounding fugitive recovery and the balance betwee...

Jim Quinn is a former assistant district attorney in Queens, New York.  His family has lived in New York for four generations.  Jim was on the front lines as New York passed bail reform through the the budget bill in 2019 and when it went into effect in January 2020.  Jim has written numerous articles about the New York bail reform and its impact on crime.  On this episode of The Bail Post we look back at 5 years under the New York bail reform law including the three roll backs by the New York legislature.  Join us and find out whether these reforms have been a success or whether they have been a failure.  Audio Podcast- Also available on- Apple Podcasts-            CLICK HERE Spotify-                        CLICK HERE Google Podcasts-        CLICK HERE Podcast Index-            C...

 CALL TO ACTION NO. 1- HB 799     DATE-  MARCH 18, 2025 TEXAS CAPITAL- AUSTIN, TEXAS  9:00 AM TO 11 AM This is PBT's first Call to Action for the 2025 Legislative Session. The Criminal Jurisprudence Committee in the House will be meeting on March 18, 2025 to consider various bail bills.  The committee will meet at 10:30 am to take public testimony on bills set for consideration. If the committee does not complete its hearing at the time that the Texas House goes into session, then the committee will take a break and reconvene after the House business is complete for the day. The committee will be considering 5 bail bills. These bills are: HB 75 by Smithee (SB 9)- Supported by PBT- This bill contains tweaks to the Bail Reform bill passed 2 sessions ago. It adds offenses to the list of charges to which a personal bond is not authorized. HB 76 by Smithee (SB 40)- Supported by PBT- This bill states that government funds cannot be given to charitable bail fund t...