The Professional Bondsmen of Texas- Blog

  Several months ago, the Harris County Bail Bond Board adopted a new local rule that requires bondsmen to collect 10% of the face amount of certain bonds before the bond is posted.  In the short span of several months there have been some significant and quick ramifications as a result of the board's actions. On this episode join the discussion with our Guest Representative Gene Newman.   Gene is the District 61 elected representative for the Mississippi House of Representatives.  Gene also is a second generation bondsman with over 40 years experience.  In addition, he has degrees in economics and criminal justice.  Representative Newman also has an indepth knowledge of how bail works in Texas and has visited many bail bond board meetings over the years. Find out why the Harris County sheriff recently asked for an additional $25 million from the commissioners to address what he called unsustainable jail overcrowding.  Lina Hidalgo, who is the Harris County Judge, asked what was ca

J.R. Woolley is the Justice of the Peace of Precinct 2 for Waller County, Texas.  Judge Wooley is also the Legislative Committee Chair of the Justices of the Peace Association and he testifies before the legislature about bills that may impact the association. On this episode of the Bail Post, Judge Woolley talks about the implementation of SB6 which is the major Criminal Justice Reform/Bail Reform Bill passed by the Texas Legislature in the most recent session and special sessions. On this episode of The Bail Post Justice of the Peace J.R. Woolley discusses magistrates magistrating magistration. 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 Podcast Addict-          CLICK HERE Podchaser-                  CLICK H

With Harris County's criminal court system mired in delay, disfunction, and hobbled by a monster case backlog, the Harris County Jail population is busting at the seams - currently at 99.8% of capacity with 9,688 inmates.  "We are just not going to have the capacity to sustain a jail operation," warned Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.   Gonzalez pleaded with the Harris County Commissioners Court to fund a $25 million plan to shift inmates to a private West Texas prison.  "We are not going to get out of this anytime soon. We really don't have a choice, in my opinion," said Gonzalez.  Advocates for jail inmates objected, calling the transfer of prisoners to a facility 500 miles away "inhumane."  "Post, Texas is eight hours away. This puts undue stress on those who are already struggling in life," said Mo Cortez, an opponent of the outsourcing plan.   "Consider what it means for them to be forced to wait for their day in court so far

  Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz placed blame on woke elected officials in Democrat-run cities for the abrupt closure of 16 stores located primarily on the West Coast. On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that six locations each will shut down in Seattle and Los Angeles, in addition to two in Portland, Ore., one in Philadelphia, and one in Washington, D.C., by August. The company cited repeated safety incidents behind its decision. Leaked footage of Schultz at an internal meeting, published by The Post Millennial’s Ari Hoffman on Thursday, revealed the coffee-chain executive blaming elected officials for an environment in which it’s too hostile to operate. “In my view at the local, state, and federal level, these governments across the country and leaders, mayors, and governors and city councils have abdicated their responsibility in fighting crime and addressing mental illness,” said Schultz, who returned to the company as chief executive in April. “We are going t

  The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has recommended Judge Franklin Bynum be suspended over allegations that consist of him being biased against prosecutors and easy on defendants. “I can’t remember the last time a judge has been suspended in Harris County based on something less than an allegation of criminal wrongdoing,” said KPRC 2 legal analyst Brian Wice. Bynum presides over Harris County Criminal Court at Law 8 and has been on the bench since Jan. of 2019. Ray Hunt, the Executive Director of Houston of the Houston Police Officers Union, told KPRC he filed a complaint against Bynum last year. “He’s an admitted socialist, he’s anti-police, he’s anti-government, he’s anti-victim and he’s definitely pro-suspect,” Hunt said. The commission charged Bynum with bias against the state, failure to comply and reasonable doubt regarding judicial impartiality. “These allegations aren’t criminal,” Wice said. “These allegations are more in line with a civil lawsuit that the commission has

  FOX 26's Randy Wallace and Crime Stoppers' Andy Kahan discuss the ongoing streamcast called BEHIND BREAKING BOND.  The guest is City Councilman Michael Kubosh.

  Even lefty Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg wanted him behind bars. A shoplifter with 122 busts under his belt was released on his own recognizance Wednesday thanks to controversial bail reform laws Bragg typically defends — and the DA’s office told The Post that even prosecutors would have asked for pre-trial detention if they could. In the latest reported case of lax city crime policies run amok, accused serial shoplifter Lorenzo McLucas, 34, was nabbed for stealing from the cosmetics counter at a Duane Reade on Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, according to cops and court documents. Bragg’s office told The Post that it would have requested McLucas be detained if it could, keeping in line with the DA’s recent announcement that he wanted to clamp down on serial shoplifters. “We cannot accept a system where individuals who shoplift again and again cycle in and out of jail, just to shoplift again,’’ Bragg had said in a June 17 statement — two days before city business owners revealed the

  By Douglas Griffith President of the Houston Police Officers' Union The Harris County criminal justice system was changed in 2019 after a high-profile court case resulted in a settlement agreed to by misdemeanor court judges who were serving at the time. The County entered into a consent decree in the case of ODonnell v. Harris County, which changed bail for misdemeanor cases. This consent decree effectively released almost all misdemeanor defendants on a free PR bond without ever seeing a judge, or anyone checking their prior criminal record. The county was set to spend over 97 million, to implement the settlement, but to say things have not run smoothly is an understatement. This past January, ODonnell was reversed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, yet the county refused to revisit the settlement. The County could have asked the federal court to vacate the decree but decided against it. Meanwhile, Texas Senate Bill 6 was passed thanks to Senator Huffman, changing Texas law

  Grieving families are outraged that some violent, repeat offenders are getting bailed out of jail, only to commit more crimes. A community bail fund that helps indigent defendants is behind some of those releases, and relatives of the victims said they want some kind of accountability. The frustrated family members told KOMO News that they are sympathetic to suspects who really need and deserve help to come up with baily money in order to be released before their trial. However, they said it is unfair and dangerous to release violent offenders, some of whom go on to commit new crimes. For the family of Anthony Gonzalez, who was known as Gonzo, his relatives said they still are grappling with a profound feeling of loss since he was slain at a Seattle homeless encampment. His son, James, said he learned his father had had been murdered when he went to visit him at the Delridge homeless camp on June 20. Gonzo Gonzalez, 56, died after being shot in the face with a shotgun, Seattle police

  A U.S. district judge has denied The Bail Project’s request for a preliminary injunction for a law that goes into effect on July 1. House Enrolled Act 1300 requires charitable bail organizations, like The Bail Project, to follow certain rules. “Basically what the Bail Project is trying to do here is to get the judge to throw out the law before it’s even gone into effect,” Paul Helmke, Professor of Practice at IU’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said. The judge’s denial of the request means the Bail Project must follow the law going into effect on July 1. The judge noted the reason for the denial is “because The Bail Project has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits justifying a preliminary injunction.” “Once the law’s in effect then it’s easier to argue the state’s written bad regulations or that the state has treated the Bail Project unfairly,” Helmke explained. “But ahead of time for a preliminary injunction, you have a very high standard.” In May, Th

The July Newsletter for the Professional Bondsmen of Texas has been released.  In this quarter's newsletter you will find articles about a bondsman's community firework's display.  You can also find an article highlighting Right on Crime when they are wrong on crime.  This quarter's article highlights Alaska.  This quarter's newsletter also highlights a shocking report from the Houston Police Officers' Union regarding the sorry state of the misdemeanor courts in Harris County and how bail reform has brought the misdemenaor system close to collapse.  Finally, there is an article about effect on rising crime on attracting economic development. PBT also highlights the new and renewing members for this year. To learn more CLICK HERE .  

  Harris County misdemeanor court Judge Darrell Jordan on Thursday was suspended from his bench by the state's commission on judicial conduct. The suspension came just days after Jordan was indicted on a misdemeanor charge of official oppression and then arrested. In a three-paragraph letter addressed to Jordan, the commission said that Jordan would be suspended without pay from his office as Harris County Criminal Court at Law Judge No. 16. The suspension will remain in place until Jordan is either acquitted or the charges are dismissed, according to the letter. The letter was signed at 4 p.m. Thursday by David Schenk, the chairman of the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Jordan's attorney, Marc Carter, on Thursday evening confirmed the suspension. Jordan is accused wrongfully holding Wayne Dolcefino, a private media consultant and former TV journalist, in contempt or subjecting him to summary punishment and jail without a hearing. The charges are related to a June 2

The Fourth of July is one of our country’s most important holidays.  It signifies our country’s independence from England.  It also serves as a day where all Americans of all backgrounds and ages come together as one to celebrate our country.  Whether it is a barbecue with close friends or festival with thousands of strangers, there is nothing better than standing hand in hand with your community, staring up into the night sky, watching a miraculous and beautiful fireworks display.  It is 100% American.   In Waxahachie, Ellis County, Texas those sentiments  ring especially true as the result of the hard work of local bail bondsman Dusty Autrey and his team.   Waxahachie is located just south of Dallas, Texas off of I-35.  Waxahachie was founded in August 1850 as the count seat of the newly established Ellis County on a tract of land donated by early settler Emory W. Rogers, a native of Lawrence County, Alabama, who migrated to Texas in 1839.  It was incorporated on April 28, 1871, and

This is part 3 of a continuing series.  This edition of Right on Crime Wrong on Crime will focus on Alaska.   Crime is a big problem in Alaska. The state has not seen the dramatic reductions over the past decade that most of the rest of the country has experienced. There are several reasons for that, including a severe recession triggered by a slump in oil prices and a serious problem with opioids.  In 2016, the legislature in Alaska was one of the first states to look at revising is bail system and its criminal justice system.  Marc Levin with the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Right on Crime argued that Alaska should go further than setting up post conviction reforms, but should also revise the criminal justice system pre-conviction in several areas by reclassifing certain felony crimes to misdemeneanor and by implementing other reforms relying on the defendant to appear for court based upon their own promise and without the use of surety bondsmen for many non-violent offenders.