The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill on Tuesday that strengthened bail requirements.
HB 1719 “removes the defendant’s financial condition as a consideration for the magistrate in determining the amount of bail necessary to reasonably assure the appearance of the defendant at trial and protect the safety of the public.”
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The man who allegedly shot six outside a Nashville nightclub on Sunday was previously released from jail on a $50,000 bond, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed.
Williams is accused of injuring six in a shooting near the Soho Lounge in South Nashville, with MNPD reporting officers were initially responding to a call about “persons with guns fighting.”
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a bill prohibiting local governments from limiting the ability of law enforcement agencies to conduct routine traffic stops on Thursday.
The bill, SB 2572/HB 1931, was sponsored by State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) and State Representative John Gillespie (R-Memphis).
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Bills advancing through the Tennessee General Assembly would make it a misdemeanor crime for a defendant to violate the conditions of their bail.
The legislation seeks to create a new Class A misdemeanor offense to charge defendants who violate the terms of release secured by paying a bond. Lawmakers specifically want to amend the existing Tennessee Code that mandates arrest warrants be filed for those who violate their release terms to also include the criminal offense.
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Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) announced he is sponsoring several crime-related bills this legislative session in an effort to fight crime and “Make Memphis Matter.”
In a letter to his colleagues in the Tennessee State Senate, Taylor detailed 13 pieces of legislation he is sponsoring and asked his colleagues to consider sponsoring the bills as well.
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Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) said Memphis will become the “butt of every joke” and the “example of a failed city” if its bail system and crime crisis are not addressed.
Noting how Detroit was once an example of a “failed city” and a “shell of its former self,” Taylor explained what steps the city has taken to reduce crime and how Memphis should follow its lead.
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Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) said the 20-year old suspect charged in a recent violent crime spree in Memphis had charges dismissed by Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy two days before allegedly committing the multiple acts of violence.
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According to a poll by The National Desk that is circulating on local Tennessee news websites, 97 percent of respondents said they believe that violent alleged criminals should not be released back onto the streets without bail.
The poll, which is running on WTCV in Chattanooga and WZTV in Nashville, asks respondents, “Do you think those arrested for violent crimes should be released without bail?”
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A recent report revealed that Virginia’s criminal defense court-appointed and public defense attorneys are underfunded and that most cases are now taking twice as long to defend — leading to an even greater disparity between pay and hours worked.
The report, assembled by the commission that reviews the operation of the commonwealth’s policies and state agencies, attributed increased workload per case to changes in technology, mental health and a slew of policies ushered in by the previous governor’s administration.
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The Ohio Republican Party released a statement denouncing the Ohio Democratic Party’s announcement of its full slate of candidates for the 2024 state Supreme Court race.
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A new report published Tuesday reveals Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office has repeatedly failed to charge alleged criminals within a 90-day window from their arrest, forcing judges who previously denied them bail to renege and grant it, with at least 20 separate instances identified by 11 Alive.
Georgia law requires those who are arrested and refused bail to be formally indicted within 90 days, or else given bail, and 11 Alive claims court documents prove the county has failed to do this nearly two dozen times.
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Daniel Mota Dos Reis, 36, the man arrested in connection with burglarizing Democrat gubernatorial Katie Hobbs’ campaign headquarters, is reportedly an illegal immigrant in the United States and has been released from jail on bond. Her Republican opponent, Kari Lake’s, campaign called this another blow-up in Hobbs’ face.
“Katie Hobbs’ wild gambit to blame Kari Lake for the break-in is back-firing spectacularly. It now appears that the suspected burglar of Hobbs’ office is “at large” and out on the streets yet again due to the insane pro-illegal immigration, pro-crime policies pushed by Katie Hobbs and the radical Left,” said the Lake campaign in a statement emailed to reporters. “Kari Lake will fight to put an end to sanctuary cities and the Democrats’ insane bail policies and make sure authorities can’t defy immigration authorities and catch-and-release illegal immigrant criminals back onto the streets. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about Katie Hobbs.”
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Ohioans will vote on allowing judges to consider public safety when setting bail and on local governments allowing only U.S.citizens to vote in local elections during the upcoming election on November 8th.
Both statewide issues have made their way through the Ohio House and Senate to be voted on in the Ohio General Election. They are State Issue 1 known as the Community Safety Amendment and State Issue 2 known as the Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment.
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On November 8, 2022, Ohio voters will have the opportunity to amend the Ohio Constitution in a way that supports and promotes public safety. Issue 1, the “Ohio Determining Bail Amount Based on Public Safety Amendment” will add the following language to the Constitution: “When determining the amount of bail, the court shall consider public safety, including the seriousness of the offense, and a person’s criminal record, the likelihood a person will return to court, and any other factor the general assembly may prescribe.” The proposed amendment strikes a balance between the competing interests behind the granting of bail: preserving the accused’s presumption of innocence against the community’s need for public safety.
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The defendant in the killing of Tennessee teacher Eliza Fletcher was on Wednesday ordered held without bond, after he was charged with first-degree murder.
“In light of the change of circumstance, I’m going to order that there be no bond,” said a Shelby County Circuit judge. “The $500,000 bond is revoked.”
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A man who shot at police because he was “frustrated” after driving drunk with his pregnant wife in the passenger seat had his bail reduced from $5 million to $100,000.
Pablo Nava Jaimes, 30, allegedly fired at least 10 rounds at police during a pursuit while leaving a barbecue after “8 or 9 beers” on June 5, according to a criminal complaint. The report also states he “took full responsibility” for the shooting after he was apprehended.
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The Supreme Court ruled Monday that illegal aliens detained for six months don’t have the right to a bond hearing for release in a decision released.
The decision addressed two separate cases involving three illegal aliens, two of which were Mexican nationals that entered the U.S. illegally after being previously deported. After they were detained, they filed a putative class action for a bond hearing after six months of detention.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation to keep defendants facing human trafficking charges from immediately returning to the streets after their arrest.
Senate Bill 461 adds human trafficking to the list of violent and sexual offenses that require a Superior Court judge to grant bail. The list also includes treason, rape, murder and aircraft hijacking.
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Two Pennsylvania counties use the same lenient bail-calculation system that is used in Milwaukee County, WI and that is now being scrutinized in the wake of the Nov. 21 Waukesha Christmas-parade massacre.
Suspect Darrell E. Brooks Jr. faces homicide charges for killing six people at the holiday celebration with his car. Earlier that month, prosecutors handling a case of physical abuse and vehicular assault regarding Brooks asked a court to set bail bond for the defendant at a mere $1,000, to which the court agreed.
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At least two Minnesota counties do not require bail payments for individuals accused of committing certain “non-violent” crimes.
According to a WCCO report from December 2020, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman and Washington County Attorney Pete Orput dropped a bail requirement for 19 “low-level offenses.” It was a move that took effect at the beginning of 2021.
Such offenses include but are not limited to theft under $35,000, car theft, property damage, insurance fraud, counterfeiting currency, possession of shoplifting gear, possession of tools to commit burglaries and thefts, and wrongful obtainment of public assistance and unemployment benefits.
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Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano (D) announced Monday that he would not be seeking cash bail for non-violent offenders, formalizing a policy he and his prosecutors have been practicing since Descano took office in January 2020. “I’ve long said that the laws on the books should match the values in our hearts. Cash bail is unjust, racially biased, and doesn’t make our community safer,” Descano said in a Twitter announcement. “That’s why my office won’t request it and why I call on the legislature to end it.” In a Washington Post op-ed Descano said, “Simply put, cash bail creates a two-tiered justice system: one for rich people and one for everyone else. People who sit in jail risk losing their jobs for nonattendance, which, in short order, could lead to the loss of their housing, and in some cases the loss of custody of their children. Facing these rippling consequences, many people simply opt to plead guilty in exchange for their immediate release, often plunging them into a cycle of increased contact with the criminal justice system.” Descano is part of a growing list of Virginia prosecutors who are moving away from cash bail. Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Greg Underwood…
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The Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF), a bail-issuing nonprofit trending since George Floyd’s death, recently used donations intended for protestors to bail violent offenders.
Donors intended for their MFF contributions to bail out jailed Black Lives Matter protestors. Instead, Fox News shared that MFF recently paid near half a million in cash to bail out two individuals whose charges are entirely unrelated to Floyd protests.
You can reflexively oppose anything the left supports and almost never to worry about being wrong. Unfortunately, many conservatives have fallen for the shiny object that is being dangled in front of them by the left called, “criminal justice reform.”
The American criminal justice system is not perfect and like any other system, there are always improvements and corrections that can be made. Unfortunately, most of the reforms the left is suggesting make things worse, not better.
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Friday, the Buckeye Institute announced that Daniel J. Dew, a legal fellow with the institute, would lead an Ohio Supreme Court Task Force, focused on reforming the bail system throughout Ohio. Dew has done some of the most extensive research and analysis on the state’s current bail system and his findings are rather shocking. He notes; The traditional cash bail system allows accused murderers, child rapists, armed robbers, and dangerous gang members to be arrested and released into our communities to await trial. Meanwhile, otherwise law-abiding, harmless citizens sit in jail for days, weeks, or even months for drunken jaywalking, violating dress-codes, or failing to pay traffic tickets. These absurd incongruities stem from a pretrial release system rooted in money rather than a careful, scientific assessment of the risks that the accused pose to our neighborhoods. One of the most tragic examples featured in his work; “Money Bail: Making Ohio a More Dangerous Place to Live,” tells the story of Dragan Sekulic. In 2015, he was charged with domestic violence, “felonious assault, domestic violence, and, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated,” all directed at his ex-wife. After posting a $100,000 bond, he left jail as a free man until his trial. He…
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