tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post5560037947317572560..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Trend toward bail, away from personal bonds a major factor in Harris County Jail overcrowdingGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-83004793778635530532008-08-03T02:22:00.000-05:002008-08-03T02:22:00.000-05:00Overcrowding in the Harris County Jail and Texas P...Overcrowding in the Harris County Jail and Texas Prisons; Non-Violent Drug Offenders Wasting Away in Prison and Costing Society Billions, Community Treatment Centers and PR Bonds Could Save You Money!Louisiana doesn’t mind. The state loves to incarcerate inmates. It has maintained the highest inmate incarceration rate in the world over the last decade – and it does it cheaply. Harris County will pay $38 a day to house each of its inmates at the West Carroll Detention Center. Martin pointed out that it would cost $45 to $55 per day to house these inmates in a comparable Texas facility.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-72564243551506399372008-04-07T22:24:00.000-05:002008-04-07T22:24:00.000-05:00Harris Co trivia:A while back (10 years or so) the...Harris Co trivia:<BR/>A while back (10 years or so) the Harris Co Pre-Trial Agency used to give out $25 PTR bonds to 1st offenders however, all the bonding companies filed lawsuits or something like that and the practice was stopped. <BR/><BR/>The former head of Harris Co Probation was the last person to question the practice of un-equal bonds (ie: one person gets a low bond and another one with same charge gets no bond) on MRP's filed by Harris Co Judges. He was indicted for mis-use of a county computer.<BR/><BR/>There are over 30,000 open warrants in Harris County.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-13861736847149674042008-04-07T09:17:00.000-05:002008-04-07T09:17:00.000-05:00Yeah. In your face, 10:20.Yeah. In your face, 10:20.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-72030374448649386122008-04-07T07:12:00.000-05:002008-04-07T07:12:00.000-05:00Oh, and since you likely won't believe me because ...Oh, and since you likely won't believe me because of my "philosophy," I'd encourage you to check out <A HREF="http://effectivealt.web.aplus.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/reportfinalharriscountypretrial.doc" REL="nofollow">the consultant's report</A> (doc) from Harris a couple of yeas back that told them the same thing, and gave data on no-shows and costs. Perhaps you'll question the authors' "philosophy," too, but they wrote:<BR/><BR/>"To the extent that defendants who pose no significant risk of nonappearance or of danger to public safety remain in pretrial detention because of inability to post bond, the County incurs significant and unnecessary costs for the operation of the jail. Such detention also appears to be contrary to Texas law requiring individualized consideration of the circumstances of each defendant in setting bail."Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-5616653531393450992008-04-07T06:59:00.000-05:002008-04-07T06:59:00.000-05:00To 10:20 - I don't dismiss the judge's estimate be...To 10:20 - I don't dismiss the judge's estimate because of ideology, but because of the record from counties with pretrial services divisions. For those I'm aware of (including Harris), the no-show rate runs in the single digits - mostly those likely to no-show don't qualify.<BR/><BR/>Also, you're simply wrong that requiring bail costs the county "nothing." It costs them about $45 per day for every extra day a person is in jail, and that's just counting direct costs.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-72463457459535519132008-04-07T06:36:00.000-05:002008-04-07T06:36:00.000-05:00With all the bills coming due for the 20+ year lon...With all the bills coming due for the 20+ year long 'lock-'em-up!' phase of the DrugWar, it's becoming clearer all the time that it's a game we can't afford to play anymore. It's time to decide just what is worthy of incarceration and what isn't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-10939598709668076762008-04-06T23:09:00.000-05:002008-04-06T23:09:00.000-05:00I've seen people go to Harris Co. jail with thousa...I've seen people go to Harris Co. jail with thousands of dollars in there wallet and refuse to pay the Bond that was set. I,m one of them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-29298177228704447162008-04-06T22:20:00.000-05:002008-04-06T22:20:00.000-05:00The advantage of commercial bail bonds is that som...The advantage of commercial bail bonds is that someone else is extremely motivated to keep up with and produce the defendant in court.<BR/><BR/>It cost the state/county nothing. The bondsman must produce the defendant in court, or pay, or, if the defendant is caught elsewhere, pay for transporting back to the home county.<BR/><BR/>PR bonds are a joke. There is no recourse at all for bail jumpers. <BR/><BR/>Grits is dismissive of a judge who states that 70% don't show. That's because it doesn't fit his philosophy. If that judge is only half right, it still demonstrates that PR bonds are a joke and ineffective at assuring appearance at trial.<BR/><BR/>It's not about jail space, it's about appearance at trial.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-58342139610984234212008-04-06T19:23:00.000-05:002008-04-06T19:23:00.000-05:00When you have commercial bail bonds two people dec...When you have commercial bail bonds two people decide if the prisoner is to be promptly released (and one of them is a businessman). The judge sets the bond amount and the bail bondsman decides if the prisoner is a good risk. <BR/><BR/>If the person is a poor risk they have to borrow the extra money they need from relatives and friends. That can take several weeks and if they are not on good terms with their family and friends it might not happen.<BR/><BR/>Commercial bail bonding does not appear to be necessary because other countries and about four states manage without them. I am not aware of any advantages of having commercial bail bonds. What I object to is their lobbying the legislature to change the laws to increase their profits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-27099387245324568882008-04-06T17:57:00.000-05:002008-04-06T17:57:00.000-05:00Bail Bonds are set by Judges and they need to be h...Bail Bonds are set by Judges and they need to be held responsible for the overcrowding in Harris Co. Jail. <BR/><BR/>There are some good Judges and some very bad, angry Judges who think they sit on thrones in a lot of Texas cities. They need to learn, you are hurting your city, ruining a lot of families and causing hardships on children by you selfish way of jailing everyone who comes before you and then setting the bond so high no one without a huge inheritance can afford to pay this huge bond! You jail the bread winner of a family for something that should have never even been heard and you destroy families and ruin lives of children. Think about it, "What goes around, does come around."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-54176383358687427012008-04-06T16:52:00.000-05:002008-04-06T16:52:00.000-05:00There are a few states where bail bonds are illega...There are a few states where bail bonds are illegal. The thinking is no one should profit from someone else's misfortune.<BR/><BR/>Refusing personal bonds is simply putting money in bondsmen's pockets after taking it out of the accused's pocket. That amounts to armed robbery.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com