The Bail Post

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.

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 certain minority groups.While Dr. Hansen agrees that this is one of the conclusions of the report, he also highlights other strategies that were not addressed in the report as possible alternatives to attempt to decrease crime by moving police funds to other strategies.  Dr. Hansen admits there would be a time lag for some of these strategies and others might not be an actual replacement for police, but could augment them in certain areas to allow quicker response times.Join us for this episode of The Bail Post.

On August 22, 2025, Iryna Zarutska was killed at the East/West Boulevard station on the Lynx Blue Line, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who had fled her country because of the Russian invasion, was stabbed from behind three times while seated on the train.  She did everything right.  She and her family immigrated to the United States legally.  They had a sponsor.  She was attending college and was working at a pizza shop.  At the time of the stabbing she was traveling home after work.The entire event was captured on video.  Initially, the video was not seen by the public.  Then everything changed when the mayor of Charlotte thanked the press for not distributing the video.  Then the video was everywhere.  In response to this terrible event, the North Carolina legislature passed Iryna's Law.  It was signed by the Democrat Governor.Join us on this episode of The Bail Post as we discuss the events leading up to this tragedy and the statute that was passed in Iryna Zarutsha' honor.Our guest is the President of the North Carolina Bail Agent's Association, Julie Henderson.

As we begin Season 5 of the Bail Post, we are talking about the importance of engaging in public relations in the Criminal Justice System.  One of the things that we have learned over the years is that the activists will never admit that they are wrong or that they are doing more harm than good.  Also, they have learned how to inundate google with pseudo studies that are really nothing more than dressed up press releases from these same groups that many times actually contradict what the actual science says should be the proper course of action.  Therefore, if we are not telling the positive stories of the bail industry and the Criminal Justice System, then these stories will not be told.  If we are not highlighting what the actual science says then many times no one will.  Our guests on today's episode of The Bail Post is our PR Team- Cara Downs and Elliott Chang who are Media Vista PR.  If you would like more information about Cara and Elliott contact them directly at:[email protected]@mediavistpr.com

 In 2020, there were protests in Seattle, Washington following the death of George Floyd.  For a period of 24 days, an area that became known as the Capitol Hill Occupation Protest (CHOP) was treated as an autonomous zone where the police did not respond to calls.  As a result, the CHOP zone became an example of what happens when police stop policing.  Dr. Eric Piza and Dr. Nathan T. Connealy largely used data from the City of Seattle Open Data portal, analyzing data from more than one year prior to CHOP with two microsynth models to understand average and seasonal crime trends.  Dr. Piza and Dr. Connealy looked at the impact of crime in three areas:  (1) the CHOP zone; (2) the two block radius around the CHOP zone; and (3) the precinct at large.The results showed a significant increase in crime within the CHOP zone, the encompassing two-block area, and the overall East precinct service area during the occupation period.   The study suggests that calls to abolish the police compromise public safety.  Although advocates argue the abolishing police would have a positive impact on crime, the science not only does not support this conclusion, it actually supports the opposite conclusion that when police stop policing crime increases dramatically.  UPDATE-Seattle's handling of the 2020 Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) zone during the so-called "Summer of Love" has cost the city over $30 million, following a King County jury's decision ordering it to pay more than $30.5 million to the family of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr.https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2026/01/30/seattle-gets-slapped-down-in-court-over-chop-killing-forced-to-pay-family-staggering-30-million-n2198664

Anne Marie Schubert is a career prosecutor.  Schubert earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary’s College of California in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco in 1989. Her career experience includes being the Sacramento County District Attorney, Supervising Deputy District Attorney of the Sacramento District Attorney's Office, and Deputy District Attorney of Contra Costa and Solano Counties. Schubert has been a board member of the National District Attorneys Association and has been affiliated with Fight Crime: Invest in Kids and Stand Up for Victims.On this episode of The Bail Post we discuss how to identify soft on crime district attorneys and how to oppose them.

On this episode of The Bail Post we discuss the 2025 Texas Legislative Session to highlight the major bail bills and proposed constitutional amendments that were considered.  We highlight important changes to 17.19 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.  Also, we highlight, SJR 5, SB 9 and SB 40 that were passed this session.  Our guests are the PBT Legislative Committee Chair Cory Lee and former PBT Legislative Committee Chair Scott Walstad.

The Texas Legislature is in full swing.  A few weeks ago, the House Criminal Jurisprudence committee was conducting a hearing on multiple bail bills.  The ACLU of Texas gave testimony highlighting a story alleging that a defendant was lost in the Harris County jail for 18 years without  a conviction before his case was dismissed.  Of course, the headline was not correct.  A defendant had been arrested for capital murder and found incompetent to stand trial.  What followed was a cycle of the defendant being sent for treatment for several years, then moved back to the county jail to be re-evaluated to determine whether he was now competent to stand trial.  The cycle was repeated multiple times.  On this episode of The Bail Post we talk about mental health issues in the Criminal Justice System.  Contrary to what was reported to the House committee, the problem was a mental health issue not a bail issue.  Our guest is Ramey Heddins from MHMR of Tarrant County.  Join us as we discuss trying to fit the square peg of mental health issues into the round hole of Criminal Justice.

On this episode, we talk immigration, deportations and bail.  Our Guest is Randy Adler.  Randy is a very good friend and we have known each other for many years.  Randy has been practicing bail law in the state of Texas for over 40 years.  On this episode we discuss what bondsmen can do when they post a bail bond for a defendant and then learn that there is a ICE hold.  This is an issue that has grown in importance with the changes made by the Trump administration regarding the border, illegal immigration and deportations.  How do these changes impact ongoing criminal cases?  Find out on this episode of The Bail Post. Also, on this episode we discuss the "Ex Parte Clear" case and an article written by the Municipal Association entitled "Clear as Mud."  We discuss these cases from the perspective of the bail industry regarding seeking a warrant pursuant to article 17.19 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.Finally, we discuss the passing of a member of the board of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas.- Charlie Pickens.  

Jim Quinn is a former assistant district attorney in Queens, New York.  His family has lived in New York for four generations.  Jim was on the front lines as New York passed bail reform through the the budget bill in 2019 and when it went into effect in January 2020.  Jim has written numerous articles about the New York bail reform and its impact on crime.  On this episode of The Bail Post we look back at 5 years under the New York bail reform law including the three roll backs by the New York legislature.  Join us and find out whether these reforms have been a success or whether they have been a failure. 

On this episode of The Bail Post, we discuss the major bail bills pending before the Texas Legislature.  There are two proposed constitutional amendments:  SJR 1 and SJR 5.  There are also two bills:  SB 9 and SB 40.  SJR 1 is a proposed constitutional amendment that states if you are charged with a felony and you are in Texas illegally and did not enter a port of entry properly, then you are not entitled to bail.  The House companion is HJR 16.SJR 5 is a proposed constitutional amendment to expand preventative detention to give judges the discretion to deny bail for certain third time felons.  The House companion is HJR 15.SB 40 states that no government funds may be given to a non-profit for the purposes of posted bail by a charitable bail fund.  The House companion is HB 76.SB 9 is a major bill that made up of changes to the bail process, adds new charges to the list of offenses to which no personal bond may be granted and makes minor changes to the charitable bail fund statute.  The House companion is HB 75.You can see these bills HERE.These bills appear to be on the fast track.  They already have been voted out of the Texas Senate and are part of the Governor's priority items which means that they may have hearings, be considered and be voted on before March 15th.Join us as we highlight these important bills and where they are in the legislative process.

At the end of the Star Wars movie "New Hope" the rebels have a great victory only to see the victory short lived in "The Empire Strikes Back."  On this episode of The Bail Post we find out the great victory of the November election is already slipping away in California and the entrenched advocates are well on the way with their "Plan B."  Our guest is a returning guest.  He is retired Chief Patrick Jordan.  He worked for the L.A. County Sheriff's office for over 30 years.  He has intimate knowledge regarding  the California Criminal Justice System the reforms that have been pushed for years.  Join us as we discuss the November election and the both the success of the election and how the political advocates already are getting around the results.

"History is full of examples where good intentions paved the way to disastrous outcomes.  Today, we are witnessing another such moment -- a social experiment in criminal justice reform that has unleashed unforeseen consequences on our urban communities.This experiment was built on two flawed premises.  The first was that bail is unnecessary and people would voluntarily appear in court without financial incentives.  The second was that “soft-on-crime” policies would not lead to increased criminal activity.  Both assumptions have proven catastrophically wrong, but the damage has already been done.A group of individuals advocating bail reform -- and criminal justice reform in general -- established a network of groups to push a series of initiatives.  It was funded by a small number of extremely deep-pocketed foundations and wealthy billionaires.  Among them, the Open Society Foundation and its prominent backer, George Soros, played outsized roles in driving the agenda.  They set up a network of groups that may be broken into four categories."On this episode of The Bail Post we discuss a recent lead article in the PBT Newsletter entitled "The Untold Story- Selling Out Public Safety One District Attorney at A Time" and our guest is the author Eric Granof.

This Episode of The Bail Post was recorded several months before the election last November.  When we attempted to post information regarding this episode on social media, it was immediately deleted.  After multiple attempts to post the information we began to question our decision to cover this matter.  Were we duped?  Were we just wrong?  Then the issue of cartels and drugs became an issue in the Presidential election.  Now that the election is over, it appears that this information was "suppressed" by social media.This episode of The Bail Post highlights how cartels are taking over the legal marijuana drug industry in California and in other states that have legalized the trade; taking advantage of lax immigration policies.  Our guest is Daniel Greenfield.  Daniel has been a writer, columnist and a journalist for nearly twenty years. In that time he has tackled stories across the country and around the world.  Daniel has worked alongside legends in the field like David Horowitz.  He has also met many senators and congressmen, and has told many stories of ordinary people struggling against impossible odds.Daniel's first book, Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers' Fight Against the Left was published in April 2024. It tells the forgotten stories of early American history and the struggles that shaped a nation.  Daniel is also the author of the article- California Legalized Drugs.  Cartels Took It Over.  Join us for this episode of The Bail Post.

On this episode of The Bail Post we discuss an important case involving a recovery agent who was licensed in Louisiana.  A defendant who was charged with a misdemeanor failed to appear for court and then went to the state of Missouri where she was staying at the time she was filed.  The recovery agent and his partner traveled to Missouri, took the defendant into their custody and began traveling back to Louisiana.  The defendant was eventually dropped off at a sheriff's office in Mississippi.  The two recovery agents were charged with federal kidnapping charges because they crossed state lines.  One of the recovery agents plead guilty and was given probation.  The other went to trial and was convicted and given a sentence of 10 years.  The case was appealed because of the jury instructions given by the trial court.  Join us to find out why the court of appeals reversed the case and what the future holds for the recovery agent.

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. 

On this episode of The Bail Post we meet the new President of PBUS David Stuckman as we discuss multiple issues.  One of the issues that we highlight is the recent data breach of Capitar's cloud based bail software and the responses by bail agents.  We also discuss bail in the state of Kansas and we find out that there are both property bondsmen and corporate bondsmen.  We also discuss the laws in Kansas for returning the defendant to custody.  We also discuss the Professional Bondsmen of the United States, how it functions and it upcoming meeting.

Our guest on this episode of The Bail Post is the sitting district attorney for Harris County- Kim Ogg.  D.A. Ogg was first elected to become district attorney in 2016 with the support of a Soros political group.  She was re-elected in 2020 without the support of a Soros political group.D.A. Ogg was present for all the inside political discussions for criminal justice reform/bail reform in Harris County.  D.A. Ogg initially supported the reforms, but once she concluded that the proposed reforms went too far, she opposed them.On this episode of The Bail Post D.A. Ogg tells all.  Join us and see if you come to the same conclusion that we did-  Wow!

This is the second of two episodes regarding Charitable Bail Funds.  The first part was episode number 5 of The Bail Post.  On this episode on The Bail Post we highlight what states have done since Texas enacted a bill requiring transparency for Charitable Bail Funds.  The state of Indiana limited these funds so that they could not post a bond over a certain size.  Also, recently, the state of Georgia passed a bill limiting these funds from posting no more than 3 bonds in a given period of time whether that be six months or a year.  Why are states placing restrictions on these funds?  Probably because the legislatures are listening to the states from the representatives of some of these funds which state that they want to create chaos in the Criminal Justice System.  Therefore, legislatures are taking them at their word and placing restrictions on them to prevent chaos.  

Retired Chief Patrick Jordan worked for the L.A. County Sheriff's office for over 30 years.  He has intimate knowledge regarding  the California Criminal Justice System the reforms that have been pushed for years.  He talks about the litigation that began attacking the State's failure to provide proper mental health care and medical care which lead to a three judge panel placing a cap on the State's prison population.  The cases went all the way to the United States Supreme Court where Justice Alito questioned any order that would require the State to release the equivalent of three divisions of convicted criminals.  Alito predicted the action would lead to more crime.  Chief Jordan highlights the changes that have been made since and how those actions were not intended to do anything but reduce the number of people in jail even if crime increased.  Chief Jordan also provides insights into district attorneys who were supported by George Soros' groups.  Join us on this Episode of The Bail Post.  The arguments made in California yesterday, may be the arguments made in your jurisdiction tomorrow.

Jim Quinn is a former assistant district attorney in Queens, New York.  His family has lived in New York for four generations.  Jim was on the front lines as New York slipped bail reform into the budget bill in 2019 and when it went into effect in January 2020.  Jim has written numerous articles about the New York bail reform and its impact on crime.  On this episode of The Bail Post we evaluate the reforms and their impact on recidivism.  The biggest take away from this episode is that the politicians stated that they were willing to have more crime to address their political agenda.  Four years later, we can say that they got exactly that.  Crime is up 40% since before the reforms were enacted and defendants with a prior arrest are committing new crimes at record numbers.  Recidivism rates demonstrate that a known group of people are committing a large percentage of crimes and the citizens are bearing the brunt of politicians who refuse to fix the problems that they themselves created.

On this episode of The Bail Post we talk about the current theories regarding the causes of crime and how to deter it.  Our guest is Dr. Jennifer Wooldridge.  She is an associate professor of Criminal Justice and the Criminal Justice Undergraduate Coordinator at UT Tyler.  

Domestic Violence Survivors are one of the unknown stories of Bail Reform Failures.  As catch and release policies or arrest and release policies are being used more in our urban areas, one of the areas of society that is being most hit is in the area of domestic violence.  In many places, survivors cannot rely upon the criminal justice system any longer to protect them; and instead, they have to plan their escape plan with the help of volunteers across the country.  Join us on this episode of the Bail Post with Guest Angeline Constantinou as we talk about this very important issue.

The United States Supreme Court denied the petition for cert. filed by the plaintiffs in Daves v. Dallas County in January.  In February, the United States Supreme Court filed another petition for cert. filed in Little v. Doguet from Louisiana on a similar issue.  Therefore, the Daves v. Dallas County case has finally been concluded.  On this episode of The Bail Post we discuss the legacy of this case and the other important case called ODonnell v. Harris County.  

J.E. "Eddie" Guerra is the Sheriff of Hidalgo servicing around 1 million people.  Sheriff Guerra was appointed to office after his predecessor resigned as a result of scandal.  Sheriff Guerra rebuilt trust with the public and was reelected multiple times by the voters.  Sheriff Guerra talks about the steps he took to rebuild trust with the public.Hidalgo County is a border county with Mexico.  As a result, Sheriff Guerra deals with all the things that a sheriff has to deal with and then on top of that he deals with border issues as well.Sheriff Guerra has won many awards.  He is known for sharing data with many different agencies and says that he does not care who gets credit for getting the arrest.  By all metrics, crime in Hidalgo County has gone down in Hidalgo County.Join us for this episode of The Bail Post as we talk to Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra.

On this episode of The Bail Post, we reach several milestones.  First, this is episode number 50.  Second this is the start of Season 3 of the Bail Post.On Season 1, the first episode focused on what bondsmen do.  On Season 2, the first episode highlighted why the private industry was so much more successful than any other release mechanism.For Season 3, the first episode focuses on what it is that PBT does for the bondsmen of Texas.  Our guest is the new president of PBT, Irma Montemayor.  She talks about what it takes to run one of the best and most effective bail associations in the United States.  She also highlights the work that PBT engages in at the Texas Legislature.There is also a discussion regarding how PBT raises funds to be able to be active at the legislature.  Ms. Montemayor highlights the importance of PBT's continuing education class.Also, there was a discussion regarding the partnerships that PBT enters into with surety companies to provide additional funds to defend the bail industry to get their story out.  The current partners include:  AIA, American Surety, Bankers, Financial Casualty & Surety, and Lexington National.  Ms. Montemayor challenged agents of sureties not on this list to contact their insurance company to find out why they were not partnering with PBT to defend their businesses.Join us on The Bail Post as we start Season 3.

On this episode of The Bail Post we discuss Russell v. Harris County.  This case was filed to extend the ruling in ODonnell regarding misdemeanor judges issued by the Honorable Lee Rosenthal to the felony judges.When the case was originally filed, the plaintiffs did not even sue the district court judges.  Suit was filed against Harris County and the Harris County Sheriff.  Next, the case was "stayed" or put on hold to allow the parties to attempt to work out a settlement. The case did not proceed as expected by the plaintiffs.  They were expecting a quick settlement where the county gave them everything they wanted like they did in ODonnell.  What the plaintiffs received in the end was a big fat dismissal.  Find out how this happened on this episode of The Bail Post.

Lucy Adame-Clark was born in San Antonio, Texas. She attended Sidney Lanier High School and attended Southern Careers Institute in San Antonio for paralegal studies. Prior to becoming county clerk, Adame-Clark worked in the Bexar County Sheriff's office from 1997 to 2018. There she worked as a booking ID clerk from 1997 to 2008, a latent print examiner/AFIS in the criminal investigation division from 2008 to 2012, and a criminal processing clerk from 2013 until her election in 2018.According to Bexar County records, Adame-Clark was the first Latina and the first woman elected to the county clerk position. She is a member of the International Association for Identification and the Bexar County Bail Bond Board. She also serves as the Bexar County Treasurer and Chairman of the Records Management Committee. Outside of her professional career, Adame-Clark previously volunteered as the booster club president for the Southside Independent School District AFJROTC program and Democratic Precinct Chair for her area.Our guest also agreed to provide a link for searching their system for certain warrants.  The link is as follows:                      https://fugitivesearch.bexar.org/Join us on this episode of The Bail Post as we have a conversation with the Bexar County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark.

Following the death of George Floyd, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus proposed an extensive legislative package that included criminal justice reforms alongside reforms in education, health care and human services, and economic policy.  The bill was referred to as The Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, commonly known as the SAFE-T Act.The bill made a number of reforms to the criminal justice system, affecting policing, pretrial detention and bail, sentencing, and corrections.  The Act's section on pretrial detention, which took effect in full on September 18, 2023, is also known as the Pretrial Fairness Act.On this episode on The Bail Post we discuss Illinois and the Safe-T Act.

David Zimmer is a Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment, where he writes about criminal justice and public safety.Mr. Zimmer served 33 years in local law enforcement with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, retiring as a Captain. During his law enforcement career, Mr. Zimmer served as a deputy and a supervisor in areas including the Jail, Courts, Patrol/Water Patrol, Investigations, and Tactical Command. Mr. Zimmer was recognized as a collaborative law enforcement leader who earned the respect of stakeholders throughout the criminal justice system. He advocates for public policy that will ensure a consequential criminal justice system for all Minnesotans.In 2021, Minnesota began tracking the race of individuals accused of crimes.  This data allowed Mr. Zimmer to produce a report called "Dispelling the Myth of Unwarranted Racial Disparities in Minnesota's Criminal Justice System."  The conclusions of the report raise questions about whether proponents for reforms that gut accountability are doing the opposite of their intent by causing more harm to the very communities that the proponents claim to be seeking to help.To view the report  CLICK HERE.

On Episode No. 45 on The Bail Post, we discuss a debate that we recently participated in against a representative of Civil Rights Corps.  This is the organization that has filed bail reform and criminal justice reform litigation across the United States.  This organization filed all of the cases in Texas that made their way to the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.  These cases include:  ODonnell v. Harris County, Daves v. Dallas County, Russell v. Harris County and Booth v. Galveston County.We discuss our preparation for the debate and our expectations.  We also talk about the heated and we mean very heated debate that took place and the toxic language that Civil Rights Corps uses.  We also talk about our take away from the debate and whether there can be any common ground found when Civil Rights Corps cannot agree on such things as simple facts such as whether the reforms in ODonnell are a failure.  They cannot even agree that there is disagreement about these reforms.  If you would like to watch or listen to the debate itself, it can be found HERE.

On this Episode of the Bail Post we are at the PBT Annual Meeting and we are recording "live" to tape where we have a panel discussion regarding the Inside Scoop about Bail Bond Boards.  Our guests are Ethel Segura and Michelle Turner.  Ethel Segura is the Bail Bond Administrator for the Bexar County Bail Bond Board.  Michelle Turner is the 1st Assistant County Attorney for Fort Bend County and is the attorney for the Fort Bend County Bail Bond Board.On this unique and different episode we discuss common mistakes that bondsmen make and several new statutes that may impact the actions of bail bond boards moving forward.This is an audio only episode.

A County Judge can be the judge of a constitutional county court, a judge of a county court at law or the judge presiding over a county's commissioners court.  On this episode of The Bail Post our guest is the The Honorable Judge Tim O'Hare.  He is the Tarrant County Judge over the commissioners court.    After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in 1991 with a BBA in Finance, he went on to earn his law degree from SMU School of Law in 1995. Tim spent the last twenty-five years building a successful legal practice and real estate investment company.  During this time, Judge O’Hare earned the title of “Texas Super Lawyer” nine consecutive years.Judge O'Hare took office in January 2023 and just finished his first budget cycle for Tarrant County where the commissioners court cut the county's budget saving the taxpayers millions of dollars.  How does a first term county judge navigate local politics and get various office holders to agree to cut their budgets?  Also, Judge O'Hare touches on the importance of public safety for the county's budget.  

On this episode of The Bail Post, we discuss two different counties approaches to federal bail litigation.  In both counties, the federal courts entered preliminary injunctions to fundamentally change local bail procedures.  In Schultz v. Alabama, the county appealed, refused to settle and fought the litigation every step of the way.  The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the preliminary injunction and returned control of bail back to the county.  In contrast, in O'Donnell v. Harris County, the county appealed and won only to have the trial court enter a new preliminary injunction.  It was appealed as well and the 5th Circuit stayed the 2nd preliminary injunction stating that there was a substantial likelihood that the judges would win again.  However, the case did not go forward because there was an election and new judges were elected who promised to resolve the litigation.  A settlement was entered that tied the hands of the judges going forward.  On this episode, we hear the tale of two counties:  one that stood up to the plaintiffs' attorneys and won and another county that gave up and is still suffering the consequences to this day.The Guest is Matt Gentry who is the Sheriff of Cullman County, Alabama.  Sheriff Gentry was born and raised in Cullman County.  He attended school there.  After a stint in the Marines he returned home and went to work for the sheriff's department where he worked his way up to be the elected sheriff.  

Anne Marie Schubert is a career prosecutor.  Schubert earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary’s College of California in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco in 1989. Her career experience includes being the Sacramento County District Attorney, Supervising Deputy District Attorney of the Sacramento District Attorney's Office, and Deputy District Attorney of Contra Costa and Solano Counties. Schubert has been a board member of the National District Attorneys Association and has been affiliated with Fight Crime: Invest in Kids and Stand Up for Victims.On this episode of The Bail Post we discuss whether California have reached a breaking point with rising crime and criminal justice reform.  If you would like to learn more about the letter issued by the Oakland NAACP CLICK HERE.

In Texas, the new rules for magistration went into effect on April 1, 2022 that required the review of a Public Safety Report setting out the defendant's criminal history before bail is set.  On Episode Number 40 of The Bail Post we discuss the lessons that have been learned after magistrating under the new rules for the last year.  Our guest is The Honorable Tamara Tinney who is a magistrate judge from Burnett County.  We discuss issues regarding certification of magistrations, bond modifications and other issues using the OCA System.  Other issues discussed involve the illusive solution regarding mental health patients in the criminal justice system and the impact on drug abuse.

On this Episode of The Bail Post we get a report of the Texas Legislative Session looking at Criminal Justice Issues including SB 1318, SJR 44, HB 227 and others.  We also touch on whether bail will be part of any upcoming Special Sessions and the elephant in the room regarding the Impeachment trial planned for September. Our guest is the PBT Legislative Committee Chair- Scott Walstad.

On May 1, 2023, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1627.  The bill was described as Florida's response to disastrous “bad bail reforms” being pushed by liberal politicians and prosecutors in high-crime jurisdictions throughout the country.In this episode of the Bail Post we discuss HB 1627 and other bail bills passed in the most recent Florida Legislative Session.  Several highlights of the legislations is that the bill:Requires the Florida Supreme Court to develop a uniform statewide bond schedule by the end of the year; andProhibits the chief judge of a judicial circuit from setting a lower bond amount for a criminal offense than the uniform statewide bond schedule. “In Florida, we stand for the rule of law, we back our blue, and we treat offenders as they should be treated — not as victims, but as criminals who deserve to be behind bars,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody.“ That’s one of the reasons why we are the fastest growing state in the nation. I am grateful for Governor DeSantis’ strong leadership in advocating for, and signing, new laws that go after fentanyl traffickers and keep violent and repeat offenders behind bars to protect Floridians and our millions of visitors.” Our guest is Shawn Foster who has worked with the Florida Bail Agents Association before the Florida Legislature for the last 8 years.  

New York recently passed the third or fourth round of roll backs of the bail reform it passed at the start of the pandemic.  On this Episode of The Bail Post we learn all about the bail reforms that New York passed and the various roll backs passed since.  Our guest is Michelle Esquenazi who is the President of The National Association of Bail Agents.

On the 36th episode of the Bail Post we talk about the importance of accountability in bail and in the Criminal Justice System in general.  Our guest is the Honorable Maria T. Jackson who has been the presiding Judge of the 339th State District Court in Houston, Harris County, Texas since the election of 2008 until she decided not to run for re-election.Judge Jackson received her B.A. degree in Political Science from The University of Texas at Arlington.  She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Texas A&M School of Law formerly Texas Wesleyan School of Law.In 2014, Judge Jackson was named one of the “Top 30 Most Influential Women of Houston.” In 2015, Judge Jackson was recognized again for her judicial service to the community by the Lebanon Times magazine. She was a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Black Heritage Honoree, a Houston Bar Association-CLE distinguished member, and recognized by Houston’s Influential 40 Under 40. The Houston Sun honored Judge Jackson the “Women of Power and Purpose” award in 2013. She is a sustaining member of the Harris County Democratic Party. She is a member of the Lakewood Church. She is also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

In the bail reform debate, periodically we hear that changes should emulate the Washington D.C. system of bail which replaced the private sector of bail and with a government pretrial services department. The guest for this episode of The Bail Post is a life long resident of Washington D.C.  He is Frederick Douglas Cooke, Jr. and he was born and raised in the District of Columbia.  He attended the District of Columbia public school system and graduated from McKinley Technical High School in 1965.    After high school, Mr. Cooke enrolled at Howard University and graduated in 1969 with a degree in Psychology and a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.  Mr.  Cooke deferred some of his U.S. Air Force service and enrolled at the Howard University School of Law where he was Managing Editor of the Howard Law Journal and Chairman of the National Conference of Law Reviews for the 1971-1972 school year.  He graduated with honors from the Law School in 1972.  Upon graduation,  Cooke served as the Law Clerk for the Hon. George W. Draper, II an Associate Judge of the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.  In 1973, Cooke was appointed a Captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Department of the U.S. Air Force and served four years in that capacity.In 1977, Cooke returned to the District and joined a large corporate law firm specializing in telecommunications, higher education, entertainment, and corporate law.  He became a partner in that law firm 1982.  In 1987, he was appointed by Mayor Marion Barry to serve as the Corporation Counsel of the District of Columbia (now called the Attorney General for the District of Columbia) where he was the head of a law office of about 250 lawyers and an equal number of support staff.In 1990, he left government service and returned to the private practice of law.  In his practice, he works primarily on governmental relations, municipal finance, telecommunications, land use, public contracting, sports, advertising, litigation, intellectual property education, general corporate matters, and civil and criminal litigation matters.Join our discussion as we discuss bail reform, learn about the Washington D.C. bail system and surprisingly find common ground on what works and what does not work on bail reform issues.

Over the last few years, reformers have been advocating that changes should be made to the Criminal Justice System on the grounds that bail was not needed; that defendants would go to court anyway.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these policies were used and gave us a preview of what the bail reform movement would look like if the policies were retained after the pandemic.  Jeff Reisig is the Independent District Attorney for Yolo County in California.  Mr. Reisig released two reports looking at recidivism (new crime) rates of defendants released on zero bail in Yolo County.  The first report was issued in August 2022 and found that over 70% of the individuals released on zero bail committed new crimes within 18 months of release.One of the criticisms to this report was that there was no control group of individuals released on surety bail to give any kind of comparison.  Therefore, in February 2023, an updated analysis was released adding a comparison or control group to see if there was a difference in outcomes for individuals released on bail vs. individuals released on zero bail.  The results were shocking.  Individuals simply released committed new crimes at a substantially higher rate and more quickly than individuals released on surety bail.  Why was there such a difference?  Join us for this episode of The Bail Post.If you would like to see the August 2022 report- CLICK HERE.If you would like to see the February 2023 analysis- CLICK HERE.

Our guest today is the current district clerk of Tarrant County, Texas, Tom Wilder.  Tom took office in 1995 and was recently re-elected for another 4-year term last November.  He serves on the Tarrant County Information Technology Steering Committee, Justice Executive Planning Committee, Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, E-Gov Committee, and chairs the Tarrant County Bail Bond Board.  Mr. Wilder sits on the Board of Directors for the District Court Alliance and is a member of the County and District Clerks' Association.  He also is an associate member of the Tarrant County Bar Association and sits on the TVAS (Pro Bono) Committee.Prior to being elected District Clerk, he was the owner of the Wilder Company, a Commercial Real Estate Services firm for 25 years.  In 1987, Tom was appointed by Governor Bill Clements as a board member of the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M, the largest real estate research body in the USA.  He served there for over seven years and was elected chairman 1991-1992.Mr. Wilder has received two statewide Best Practices Awards from the Texas Association of Counties and special recognition from the Texas House of Representatives for cost efficient operation of the District Clerk's office.He is here today to talk about local government and update what is happening in the District Clerk's office.  Mr. Wilder has been active in National, State, and local politics beginning in 1962 on the college campus of the University of Dallas.  

On March 31, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit handed down the long awaited second en banc opinion in Daves v. Dallas County.  The opinon has some strident language.  The court of appeals held that neither Daves v. Dallas County, nor ODonnell v. Harris County should have ever been litigated in federal court.  On this weeks episode of The Bail Post we discuss the new opinion from the Fifth Circuit and address its potential impact the opinion will have.If you would like to listen to our discussion of Daves v. Dallas County 1 you can find that podcast by CLICKING HERE.If you would like to read the opinion CLICK HERE.

The Honorable Ron Rangel is the sitting judge for the 379th District Court in Bexar County.  He has been served for 15 years.  Join us on this episode of The Bail Post as we learn about Bexar County justice.  Judge Rangel also discusses how COVID impacted the Bexar County Criminal Justice System.  Other issues include implementation of SB6 and bail reform issues.

Patricia Wenskunas is the founder of Crime Survivors (www.crimesurvivors.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing hope and healing to victims and survivors of crime.  Her organization works to ensure that victims and survivors are protected and their rights supported by working closely with law enforcement, the judicial system and the community. Patricia nearly died in 2002 when she was viciously attacked in her own home by someone she trusted.  A personal trainer, whom she knew and trusted from her local gym, arranged to stop by her condo one day, ostensibly to help her sell Patricia Wenskunasa piece of exercise equipment.  Once there, he rendered her unconscious with a pill that he claimed would help her lose weight.  When Patricia came-to, she found she was undressed, with the trainer on top of her.  While she struggled to get away, the trainer threatened to kill her 12-year-old son, who was not home at the time.  Now enraged, the attacker attempted to suffocate her with plastic kitchen wrap.  With her last surge of adrenaline, Patricia broke free but found herself with nowhere to run.  With her life hanging in the balance, she she made a daring 12-foot leap from her balcony to the hard kitchen floor below.  After what seemed like an eternity, she finally made it to the door.  Once outside, she screamed into the street for help.This was not to be the end of Patricia’s ordeal.  What ensued was her labyrinthine journey through the criminal justice system.  At times it seemed that the system was far more interested in protecting the man who attacked her than it was in securing justice for her.  Equally important, it didn’t seem to care about protecting society from her attacker being released to commit additional attacks on other women.  Perhaps next time, she thought, he might even be “successful” at killing one or more of them.  In the end, Patricia’s attacker served all of 120 days in prison for assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats.  The judge threw out the charges of attempted murder. Patricia vowed to do something about the attack and its aftermath by founding Crime Survivors.  Always referring to herself as a survivor – never a victim – she became a tireless advocate on behalf of those of endured situations similar her own.  She does it with an optimistic tone, believing that life after a violent attack begins in one’s state of mind.  A frequent public speaker on the subject, she is dedicated to the notion that with community support, respectful advocacy and hopeful healing, one can survive a violent crime, and even thrive in their personal lives.For more information:Website- Crime Surviors- CLICK HERE.Facebook- CLICK HERE.Facebook- Be Their Voice Campaign- CLICK HERE.Twitter- CLICK HERE.Twitter- Be Their Voice Campaign- CLICK HERE.

Shawn Foster has worked with the Florida Bail Agents Association before the Florida Legislature for the last 8 years.  On this episode of The Bail Post, instead of soaking up the Florida sun, we are soaking up "Florida Bail."  Learn how the Florida's bail system and legislative process work.  See if they are doing something that could be beneficial to Texas as well.

Tillmin Welch have been a bondsmen for over 30 years.  He is a past president of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas.  He is a former board member.  He has been honored as Bondsmen of The Year and has been awarded a honorary lifetime membership.  He is also the former long serving chair of the PBT Legislative Committee.  Join us as we discuss how PBT has navigated past legislative sessions.Tillmin also discusses how he has helped families to get loved ones to change from their ways to get a way from drugs and gangs.  Even in retirement, Tillmin is active in prison ministries and continues to mentor to men in prison.

Randy Cauthen has a unique perspective on bail.  Randy worked in law enforcement for over 27 years.  After retiring, Randy was not ready to be idle.  So he began a second career in the bail industry.  He is the President of the North Carolina Bail Agents Association and was a 2019 inductee into the Hall of Fame for the bail agents association.  Join us as we learn about how bail operates in North Carolina and we compare it to how bail operates in Texas.

Season 2 is HERE!  This season begins much like the way that Season 1 began; a back to basics.  We start Season 2 by asking the question of "Why is the private surety system so effective?"  Throughout the United States the different release mechanisms used can be grouped into four categories:  the private surety bail system, cash bonds, personal bonds and preventative detention.  The private surety system has the lowest failure to appear rate by far of any the release mechanisms used.  Why is it so much more effective than any other release mechanism?  Join this episode of The Bail Post to learn more.