Baltimore Bail Finance Case Study

Within the criminal justice system, officials abuse their power. The officials of the justice system have a duty to protect and perform their duties with unbiased decision making. The abuse of power jeopardizes people’s lives who are not able to sustain oneself and their families. Some people do not understand that poorer people find themselves in jail more and once a person is released, that person is subjected to return to jail for the amount of money owed to the state. There are many obstacles for the poor, especially those of color. People of color are treated unfairly in the justice system, from the arrest, the sentencing, and the release. The criminal justice system is supposed to be just but that is not the case. The criminal justice system allows for the police, public defenders, and judges to bend the laws and not be punished for their actions or that apologizes can fix the wrong that has been done. This paper will discuss the abuse of power from the justice system and the solutions to rectify the damages.

When we think about prisons, jails, and courthouses, our minds are meant to draw a connection to cold, hard, justice and fair punishments for guilty and deserving parties. Yet, in our judicial and prison systems around the world, this idea is nowhere close to reality. From inhumane punishments, to mass incarceration, and “trapping” people in the system based on race or financial status, justice is far from being served.

Standing as one the most dominant agencies operating within the criminal justice system, the Federal Bureau of Prisons is a detrimental factor that has proven to materialize the very aspects of which to expand the dynamics of maintaining care, control, and custody of federal inmates. Albeit as it may that the agency’s establishment fails to loom too far into the crevices of history, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has surpassed a multitude of platforms that has propelled its strengths today far beyond what its founders could have imagined. However, given the magnitude of such feat as the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been bombarded with, challenges such as, but not limited the swift rate of inmates incarcerated, has greatly hindered the

This data is based on public meetings, hearing from victims, correctional experts, organizations, and citizens around the state. The data that was gathered help develop strategies to reduce spending on corrections, and reinvest in public safety (Justice Reinvestment in Maryland). Maryland developed the Maryland Justice Reinvestment Act in Bipartisan with 26 other states that changed or amended earlier policies adopted from the war on drugs. The JRA aimed to reduce Maryland’s prison population and to use the savings to focus on rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration (Smoot). The JRA made changes to Maryland’s sentencing, release, and supervision policies. First, this act reduces the maximum penalty time for convictions on drug distribution charges. Second, this act repeals mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug crimes. Finally, this act offers sanctions for parole and probation violators rather than reincarceration

Jimmy Santiago Baca is a winner of the International Prize for his work in, A Place to Stand. The making of a poet. He writes, “I had no money. There is no way I’m going to make bail” (Baca, 187). In some cases, prisoners are only locked up because they had to get appointed a defense attorney who convinced them to plead to the charges so they would not have to go to trial and risk getting an extended amount of time. District attorneys are elected by the citizens and those people want someone who is tough on crime. If the district attorney is not tough on crime, the people will not reelect him. This can lead to many innocent lives being wasted; For instance, some criminals will sit in a cell for decades for the smallest offense. However, if a prisoner attempts to plead not guilty and the case goes to a trial by jury and they do find him or her guilty, they will be sentenced to an even longer term. It is obvious that our justice system is unfair and against human morals and ethics. They are somehow “innocent until proven guilty” yet they cannot afford to prove themselves innocent. Not only is poverty a reason for the rising increase in the population of inmates, many lack the education needed to understand the law or what they are being accused of.

These offenders may see some jail time but they have specific guidelines on which they are allowed to live on house arrest or on parole. Unfortunately, there are just not enough parole officers or case workers to monitor the daily activities of all of the parolees and many realize more freedoms than they should be allowed.

In the 1970s and 1980s, a massive amount of inmates began fillin up the United States prison systems. This huge rate of growth in this short amount of time, has greatly contributed to the prison overcrowding that the United States faces today. In fact, the prisons are still filled to the seams. This enormous flood of inmates has made it practically impossible for prison officials to keep up with their facilities and supervise their inmates. One of the main reasons why many prisons have become overcrowded is because of states’ harsh criminal laws and parole practices (Cohen). “One in every 100 American adults is behind bars, the highest incarceration rate in the world” (Cohen). The amount of inmates in corrections systems, throughout the

In recent decades, low-income Americans have been facing the consequences of living in a country whose criminal justice system is greatly influenced by skewed prosecution dynamics, and whose structural discrepancies continue to encourage the mass incarceration phenomenon that affects millions of individuals today. At rates higher than Russia and China, the U.S is incarcerating an entire portion of its population based on irrelevant criteria such as affluence and race. The harsh reality that both, poverty-stricken individuals and prison inmates face today, indicate a dire need for systematic change, and should encourage citizens to become informed members of society. As citizens have come together, and government officials become involved, many reforms have been introduced and passed which are conducive to a more restorative approach to justice.

In her informative essay, “Assisting the Poor to Make Bail Helps Everyone”, Tina Rosenberg states the Bronx Freedom Fund is one of the four community organizations in the city that aims to directly help the innocent people accused and wrongfully given dangerous jail time. The author recognizes how the court system makes it almost impossible to make bail when they take your phone, the defendant cannot pay their own bail, and you must pay in cash. These, as well as a few other limitations make it very difficult for the defendant. The process of the court system, in fact, is not keeping the streets any safer, “a drug dealer is more likely to make bail than a shoplifter”(Rosenberg). Ritchin, head of the Bronx Freedom Fund, offers those who are not fortunate enough to make bail a third option, one that is much more helpful and safe.

Examine the local papers. Have there been reports of defendants committing crimes while out on bail? Have there been reports of poor conditions in the local jail? How might these reports affect bail setting? Write the question out and answer with 1 page.

Bail is often seen as a good thing, to allow those who are presumably innocent their freedom, until proven otherwise. But bail does have its downsides. Often those who are committing crimes, commit the crimes because they are hurting for money, so they have no money to put forth for a bond. Another reason bail is sometimes controversial is because it the judge’s discretion, whether someone should even be offered, bail depending on a

If you have a friend or a family member locked up in Roseville jail and you need to bail them out, then getting the services the Roseville Bail Bonds is the best idea. They make the whole bailing process very easy for you. They have been in this business for over 40 years now, which makes their reputation off the charts. They are known for treating their clients who already a lot going on which the utmost respect and they handle each and every care with its own sensitivity. They make sure that your secret remains a secret. Confidentiality is given a priority at the Roseville Bail Bonds. They get into the details of each case and try and find out how to help you and your family member or even your friend who is locked up in the best possible

Correspondingly, the bail system in the American courts is discrimination. A sum of cash decides your fate in courts. Stuntz (2016) exemplifies that “The discriminatory bail system survives even though defendants who cannot make bail are more likely to be convicted at trial than defendants who can” (p.211). Most people that are discriminated against are people of

Blackwell's Bail Bonding is a bail bonding firm that is located in Durham, North Carolina. This business has over 20 years of experience. Blackwell's Bail Bonding specializes in bail bonding and investigations. Their private investigation services include processing of civil documents, investigating missing persons, investigating fraud and insurance claims, and checking employment backgrounds. Blackwell's Bail Bonding is a licensed

Someone can easily be thrown back in jail if they simply get behind on those payments, fail a drug test, miss a parole appointment, or fail to maintain employment. Two thirds of parolees in the year 2000 were sent back to prison from those types of technical violations, rather from actual crimes. In addition, 87% of people in 2008 who were facing non-felony charges with bail set at $1,000 or less were incarcerated because they were unable to pay. In fact, public defenders routinely aren’t present at initial bail and release