Brennan Bail Bonds » Nationwide Bail Bonds http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog News and Information about the Bail Bond Industry Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:29:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Mason-Dixon Poll Finds Voters Oppose Use of Tax Dollars for Bail http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/mason-dixon-poll-finds-voters-oppose-use-of-tax-dollars-for-bail/ http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/mason-dixon-poll-finds-voters-oppose-use-of-tax-dollars-for-bail/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:33:51 +0000 Brennan Bail Bonds http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/?p=63 ALEC Calls on Florida Lawmakers to Pass SB 782 and HB 445

Washington D.C. - The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) today released the findings of a recent Mason-Dixon poll showing that Florida voters strongly favor enacting a statewide law that would limit the use of their tax dollars to paying only for the release of indigent defendants who have been charged with a non-violent crime.  Statewide, 71% supported limiting the use of tax dollars, while 22% were opposed and 7% were undecided.

Currently, the Florida Legislature is considering Senate Bill 782 by Senator John Thrasher (R-St. Augustine) and House Bill 445 by Representative Chris Dorworth (R-Lake Mary), pertaining to changing Florida Statute, as it relates to the government-run pretrial release programs.  SB 782 and HB 445 requires that the defendant meet certain specified criteria in order to be eligible for pretrial release; narrows who is eligible for taxpayer-funded pretrial services/release programs; and moves more criminal offenders to a private, regulated and licensed bail system, while still allowing for the continued use of pretrial programs for non-violent, first-time, non-dangerous indigent offenders.

ALEC has made reforming government-run bail a priority and believes this legislation will benefit Floridians.

Support for the measure has widened to the Florida’s voters, as by the Mason-Dixon poll:

94% felt criminal defendants who have failed to appear in court on a previous offense should not be allowed to be released from jail using tax dollars.

·     87% felt that if a criminal defendant can afford to pay their own bail for release from jail, they should not be allowed to be released from jail using tax dollars.

·     86% felt a criminal defendant that has been previously convicted of a violent crime should not be allowed to be released from jail using tax dollars, even if the court rules that they are indigent.

·     Only 15% of state voters were aware that 28 Florida counties allow criminals to be released from jail using taxpayer dollars instead of paying for their own release while they await trial.

  • Support for the measure cuts across party lines, with 65% of Democrats, 77% of Republicans and 72% of independentsfavoring such a law.

ALEC’s Public Safety Task Force Director Michael Hough said, “It is clear that taxpayers do not want to be left on the hook to pay the bill for releasing potentially dangerous criminals from jail. Pretrial release agencies should strictly serve the indigent, and commercial bail does a better job of protecting the public from dangerous criminals, while saving taxpayer dollars.”

The poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. of Washington, D.C. from March 23, 2010, through March 25, 2010, with a total of 625 registered Florida voters.  The margin of error is no more than plus or minus 4 percentage points. The poll is available here http://www.alec.org/am/pdf/cied/Mason-Dixon_poll.pdf

]]> http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/mason-dixon-poll-finds-voters-oppose-use-of-tax-dollars-for-bail/feed/ 0 Help with immigration bail bonds http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/help-with-immigration-bail-bonds/ http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/help-with-immigration-bail-bonds/#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:33:26 +0000 Brennan Bail Bonds http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/?p=33 Communication is the biggest problem that immigration bail bonds face in Fort Pierce. It’s extremely difficult for a bail bond agency and an immigrant to communicate effectively on the same level. This may not just be because of language difficulties; often there are cultural differences and secrets that can hinder proceedings before they even get started properly. Immigrants generally don’t have any idea about the bail bonds process in this country, especially since it is quite unique around the world. Often people will have heard that bailing someone out of jail is possible, but they simply have no idea where to start. It is important that the indemnitor (the person that co-signs the bail bond) communicates well with the Fort Pierce bail bondsman that is handling the process. The process may take some time, but if both parties are patient and willing to take that extra time to understand each other, then everything can run quite smoothly.

 

Because of the higher risk that a bondsman incurs when taking on an immigration bail bond, there is a higher deposit to pay than the standard amount. This will be 15% of the full bail amount. The next step will be finding collateral, which is often extremely difficult, primarily because immigrants may not have any belongings or properties. If there is not sufficient collateral to cover the full amount of the bail bond, it is unlikely that the process will go any further.

 

The immigrant will need papers to prove their identity, and need to disclose any information they have about their current situation. How much information the bondsman asks for depends on which bondsman you use, but remember that you can always back out if you do not wish to proceed with the initial stages. The bondsman will make sure you understand the conditions of the Fort Pierce bail bond, and the conditions of the bail set out by the prison, so that all of them are fulfilled. If any of these are not fulfilled correctly, the bail could be forfeited and the full amount of the bail will be owed by the indemnitor to the bondsman.

]]> http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/help-with-immigration-bail-bonds/feed/ 11 Working with a Bail Bondsman http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/working-with-a-bail-bondsman/ http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/working-with-a-bail-bondsman/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:24:04 +0000 Brennan Bail Bonds http://www.brennanbail.com/bail-blog/?p=3 Whether you’ve been arrested and are looking to post bail, or one of you friends or family members is asking you to post bail for them, understanding how to work with a Bail Bondsman will help the whole process run much more smoothly. If you’ve been arrested, you first have to wait for a bail hearing where the amount that you will have to pay will be decided. This could be an extremely high amount depending on your crime; it is then up to you to decide whether you wish to actually post bail. If you decide to do this, you will need to contact someone who you can trust (and someone who can trust you) to agree the terms of the bail with a Bail Bondsman. The bondsman will handle the finances and give your friend or family member the amount that is required for you to be released.

     It is important that the person working with the Florida Bail Bondsman knows some of the details of your case, and your personal information. This will help the Bondsman as he or she goes through the process. The Bondsman will also need to know about any past criminal history and other details which may show that the arrestee is too much of a risk to be invested in. After all, the bondsman is looking to make as much money as possible, and will only be risking money if they are not absolutely sure that the arrestee will appear in court when summoned.

     The bondsman will either accept or reject your case; on acceptance he will expect a 10% deposit to cover some of their risk. It is possible that the bondsman will ask for collateral as well, meaning some form of asset that he can keep until the case is over. The bondsman will essentially try to risk as little as possible. If the co-signer of the bail bond works closely with the bondsman, the whole case can be dealt with in a matter of hours.

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