Here's another story about the bail industry in Maryland. Unlicensed bail bondsmen going after money through the very courts they disparage when they don't set money bail. And all this even as the bail company is being investigated for operating without a license.
There are a number of reasons why this industry is on its way out. First and foremost, though, is that it has forgotten whatever noble purpose it had when it was created in 1900. Today, the industry basically calls its clients scum and criminals (even though they aren't convicted). It says they lie about how much money they have. It claims defendants are the most dangerous people on the planet -- all because they didn't pay a fee (you know, all those FREE TO GO stories on Facebook, even though "free to go" is also known as freedom and liberty under our Constitution).
You know what I'm talking about -- "They're not in there because they're poor -- they're in there because they broke the dang law." That's the kind of leadership and strategy coming out of the main bail organizations. ABC's lobbyist can always get another job. After the bail industry, there'll be some other big deal thing that he can argue for.
At the end of the article it says, "Advocates will need to delve more into the ways bondsmen do their work in practice." Better hope they don't.
Oh, and if you want a bit of perspective, go onto the Pretrial Justice Institute and just look at all the articles and stories in the news about bail. About 3% of them get sent to you through ABC, AIA, and other bail organizations. Read the other 97%, though, and you'll see where this whole thing is going.
