Activists Sue Utah after Legislature Repeals Bad Bail Reforms

 



State legislators passed a bail reform bill in 2020, which replaced the normal cash bail-centric model with one that relies on risk factors when deciding whether to detain or release a person.

But lawmakers undid much of that work a year later, after sheriffs and other law enforcement officials argued the move failed victims and let dangerous people go free.

A 2021 bill largely brought Utah back to a cash-bail system, removing the part of the law that introduced risk assessment but advising judges to impose the least restrictive conditions of release available.

On Monday, an attorney filed a potential class-action lawsuit on behalf of three plaintiffs alleging that they could pay the bail set by two judges who set their bail. It asks a federal judge to declare the current bail process unconstitutional.

To see more CLICK HERE.

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Read Posts Over The Last 30 Days

Episode No. 74- Study: Defunding the Police Increase Murders Especially for Minorities with Guest Dr. Ben Hansen

Image
Dr. Benjamin Hansen is the W.E. Minor Professor of Economics at the University of Oregon.  He is also the head of the Economics Department.  He Graduated from Birmingham Young University in 2004 with a B.A. in Economics.  He received his M.A. in Economics in 2005 and his PhD in Economics in 2009 from UC Santa Barbara. Dr. Hansen co-authored an article that is the subject of this episode of The Bail Post.  The citation for the article is:  Chalfin, Hansen, Weisburst and Williams, "Police Force Size and Civilian Race,"  American Economic Review:  Insights 4 (2); 139-58 (2022). The article addressed defunding the police and its impact on crime.  One of the conclusions of the study was that decreasing the size of the police force will increase murder rates and that will disproportionately negatively impact certain minority groups.  This means that decreasing the size of police will result in more murders and the number will increase even more for...
Read more

Episode No. 75- All Hat and No Cattle- Digging Into Pseudo Studies Issued by Activist Groups with Guest Eric Granof

Image
How do you navigate the space in the bail reform debate when law enforcement and activists seem to be arguing contrary positions.  One example is the debate over defunding the police.  A study that was highlighted on Episode No. 71 of our podcast demonstrated that defunding the police increases crime immediately not only in the area that the police are removed from but the surrounding area as well.   Also, taking the police out of the community resulted in litigation that resulted in judgments against the city totaling over $32 million dollars. Nevertheless, activists continue to argue that defunding the police will actually make communities safer. How do we navigate between these two positions.  When activists have flooded google with pseudo studies that defy common sense how do we debunk them and find the real science? This is the subject of this episode of The Bail Post. Audio Podcast- Also available on- Apple Podcasts-          ...
Read more

Meet the New President of PBT- Irma Montemayor

Image
Is 2024 the Year of the Woman for the Professional Bondsmen of Texas?  At the recent annual meeting, Irma Montemayor was elected president of PBT.  She will serve for the next two years.  She is only the third woman to be elected President.  She has been involved in the bonding industry since she was 18. "It is my goal to continue to build on the legacy those before me have formed through hard work and dedication.  I pray for the wisdom in all my decisions and pledge to seek guidance and advise from those willing to collaborate in order to continue making PBTx the model association for the rest of the  Country.  God Bless the great State of Texas!" Irma has served in many different capacities.  She has been a member of the executive team as the secretary.  She has served as convention chair and in many other roles.   Irma is licensed in Hidalgo County and her bonding company is A-Fast Bail Bonds.  Join us in congratulating Irma...
Read more

Trying to Understand Bail Reform and Cashless Bail in the Age of Online Misinformation

Image
In today's digital landscape, identifying the truth about topics like bail reform and cashless bail can be challenging due to widespread disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda. In a recent article in AIA Surety's Insight newsletter their Vice President of Communications, Eric Granof, discusses how much of the information consumers digest comes from internet searches, particularly Google.  Someone asks a question and Google searches the web for the answer and aggregates the best results based on its algorithm.  The problem with this is that Google is not an expert on everything like people expect.  It is simply feeding up what its algorithm believes is the best answer rather than objective truth. As a result, users searching for the truth on any topic related to bail reform, cashless bail or bail bonds will encounter a curated collection of the viewpoints selected by algorithmic preferences, as opposed to what is the truth. How Activist Groups Influence Search Resu...
Read more

The Bail Post Podcast- Episode No. 4- Did the 5th Circuit Just End Federal Bail Litigation?

Image
This is big.  The Fifth Circuit has issued an en banc opinion in the Dallas Federal litigation called Daves v. Dallas County.  The opinion was issued yesterday.  This is a huge opinion that addresses three issues.  Listen to our podcast to learn more.   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-                        CLICK HERE TuneIn + Alexa          CLICK HERE Po...
Read more

Stories by Topic:

Show more