Post by Logan on Jul 5, 2016 2:03:45 GMT -6
Decatur judge: Defendants can't be jailed pre-conviction because of finances
The inability to pay bond is no longer grounds in Decatur to hold poor defendants accused of misdemeanors and traffic violations in jail pending trial.
Unless a person accused of a minor offense lives out of state, has failed to appear in court within the past two years, is on bond in another city case or is on probation in connection with another city case, he or she cannot be held in jail, according to a ruling issued last month by Municipal Judge Bill Cook.
It's a ruling that's proving costly for the bail bond companies that in the past were commonly used to post the bonds.
The typical fee collected by bonding companies on misdemeanor or traffic cases is 10 to 15 percent of the bond amount, which typically ranges from $500 to $1,000.
Read more: www.decaturdaily.com/news/morgan_county/decatur/decatur-judge-defendants-can-t-be-jailed-pre-conviction-because/article_4402972d-859d-5141-8d4e-2c17a2c7b2e3.html
The inability to pay bond is no longer grounds in Decatur to hold poor defendants accused of misdemeanors and traffic violations in jail pending trial.
Unless a person accused of a minor offense lives out of state, has failed to appear in court within the past two years, is on bond in another city case or is on probation in connection with another city case, he or she cannot be held in jail, according to a ruling issued last month by Municipal Judge Bill Cook.
It's a ruling that's proving costly for the bail bond companies that in the past were commonly used to post the bonds.
The typical fee collected by bonding companies on misdemeanor or traffic cases is 10 to 15 percent of the bond amount, which typically ranges from $500 to $1,000.
Read more: www.decaturdaily.com/news/morgan_county/decatur/decatur-judge-defendants-can-t-be-jailed-pre-conviction-because/article_4402972d-859d-5141-8d4e-2c17a2c7b2e3.html