Dallas Morning News Questions Bail Reform


Dallas needs bail reform, but not a policy that puts violent offenders back on the streets.

This troubling trend deserves review.

Imagine a mother arrested for shoplifting groceries languishing in the county lockup because she can’t afford the bail to get out. While she sits in jail, she loses her job and her family’s struggles are amplified.

No one will argue against reforms that enable such a mother to afford bail and return to her family quickly enough to hold onto her job.

On the strength of that kind of example, we’ve seen bail reform pushed in Texas and other states. And we have strongly supported that type of reform because the way bail in Dallas and other counties has been administered can undercut the due process rights of poor defendants.

But it now appears that there is another type of bail “reform” that is growing into a national movement championed by some district attorneys. This type of bail reform drives toward the uncritical release, on outrageously low bonds, of people accused of violent crimes who have a history of violent behavior.

To read more CLICK HERE.

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Read Posts Over The Last 30 Days

Episode No. 60- Conquering the Digital Beast with Guest District Clerk Jon Gimble

Image
The district clerk wears many hats.  As we have seen the expansion of the digital formats and e-filing, the hats that the district clerk has to wear has only expanded.  As many counties have overseen the conversion of old software systems to new over the last couple of years, some have experienced more problems that others.  Our guest on this episode of The Bail Post is the District Clerk of McLennan County.  Mr. Gimble has overseen software conversion, has been appointed to state committees and commissions and is in the forefront of planning for the future (think central statewide database).  Join us and all the many things that you never even knew the district clerk took care of in your county.  Audio Podcast- Also available on: Apple Podcasts-            CLICK HERE Spotify-                        CLICK HERE Google Podcasts-        CLICK HERE Podcast Index-            CLICK HERE Amazon Music-          CLICK HERE Stitcher-                      CLICK HERE iHeart-                       
Read more

PBT Announces Special Guest for Upcoming Annual Meeting

Image
Senator Pete Flores is the Chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.  This committee has jurisdiction over all bail related legislation filed in the Texas Senate.  It is referred to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.  Senator Flores was named chair of the committee after former Senator John Whitmire retired to run for Mayor of Houston.   Chairman Flores will participate on a panel discussion at the upcoming annual meeting to discuss anticipated bail issues and other criminal justice matters that may arise in the next Texas Legislative Session beginning in January 2025. PBT will be presenting Chairman Flores with a contribution from the Texas Bail PAC.  We ask that you consider making donations to this powerful Senator as well.  Contributions by check can be made directly to the Pete Flores Campaign and cash contributions can be made to the Texas Bail PAC to increase the contribution made to the senator.  Bring your checkbooks and let's show our appreciation for Senator
Read more

FBI Fudging Crime Numbers?

Image
Is crime going up or down.  We have been told for months that according to the FBI crime statistics, crime is going down and that it is only the perception of crime increasing that is the problem.  This dispute has come into full focus this week when it was discovered that the FBI had updated its crime statistics incredible results. * * * RealClearInvestigations dug into the FBI’s data and found that the law enforcement agency had been criminally misreporting crime statistics in a way that just happened to help Biden-Harris look like it’s been tough on crime. Last fall, for example, the FBI reported that violent crime had dropped by 2.1% in 2022. That number was celebrated by Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the press, which said it was proof that Donald Trump was lying about a crime wave. RealClearInvestigations discovered that the FBI had secretly updated its crime statistitics, and instead of showing a 2.1% drop in violent crime, there was a 4.5% increase in 2022.   These weren’t minor
Read more

Stories by Topic:

Show more