CAN YOU BELIEVE! $5-MILLION BAIL BOND…FOR A TEENAGER

Join Teachers.Net

Chatboards

Recent Groups

Professors

MEMBERS

2 Members

+ Join Group

Pinned Posts

ALLAll Teachers

Teachers.Net LIVE CHAT Support group - Tues eve!

Featured Jobs

Full-timeMontessori Teacher

Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

TemporaryTeachers, rural schools

Peace River North School District

Full-timeHead Teacher: 2nd/3rd Grades – Mills College Children’s School

Mills College

Teaching Jobs on Teachers.Net

Featured Job special only $39!

https://teachers.net/jobs

Become a Teachers.Net sponsor!

College Professors Chatboard

CAN YOU BELIEVE! $5-MILLION BAIL BOND...FOR A TEENAGER

by ProfHardyParkerson, J.D.

Jan 13, 2014

I saw in the local paper recently where a local Judge had set the bailbond of a young person at $5-Million. That defendant would have to pay a bailbondsman $600,000.00, twelve percent (12%) of the amount of the bond, or $600,000.00, to make that bond for him, notwithstanding that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of his peers. And of this $600,000.00, ...fee for a bond that the defendant would have to pay, the Judges who fix the amount of such bailbonds would get $25,000.00, of that money, even though the defendant would be presumed innocent; and they would be legally entitled to keep that $25,000.00, even if the defendant is found innocent by a jury. Consequently, the higher that the bonds are set, the more money that the Judges who fix the amounts of the bonds get. A Judge should never get money from a defendant, especially if the defendant is presumed innocent and, even more so, if the defendant is in fact acquitted of the charge and/or ...See MoreI saw in the local paper recently where a local Judge had set the bailbond of a young person at $5-Million. That defendant would have to pay a bailbondsman $600,000.00, twelve percent (12%) of the amount of the bond, or $600,000.00, to make that bond for him, notwithstanding that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of his peers. And of this $600,000.00, ...fee for a bond that the defendant would have to pay, the Judges who fix the amount of such bailbonds would get $25,000.00, of that money, even though the defendant would be presumed innocent; and they would be legally entitled to keep that $25,000.00, even if the defendant is found innocent by a jury. Consequently, the higher that the bonds are set, the more money that the Judges who fix the amounts of the bonds get. A Judge should never get money from a defendant, especially if the defendant is presumed innocent and, even more so, if the defendant is in fact acquitted of the charge and/or if the charge is dismissed. For Judges to do so constitutes a financial conflict-of-interest; and if lawyer's can't have financial conflicts-of- interest, neither should Judges be allowed to have them. There is a lot more to it all than this, but this is something to think about. One former Sheriff said that the present system is a way for bailbondspersons to "launder" money to Judges to fix the bonds as high as possible; and, if the defendant can't pay the amount to be charged by the bondspersons, the bondspersons simply advise the Judge who fixed the bond that the defendant can't make a the bond fixed, but that if the judge will lower it to $-X (X-dollars), the defendant will be able to make it; and the Judge can rest assured that the bondsperson will not ask for the bond to be lowered to an amount lower than the maximum that the defendant can make; and, further, the Judge knows that if he does what the bondsperson requests, that he and/or his office--the money belongs to the Judges, of which he is one--will make some money. Of course, there is more to it all than this, but this is something to think about. Again, I say, no wonder bailbonds are fixed so high! So-called Criminal "Justice" has become all about money.

So that, my friends, as you can see, is not the way it's s'posed to be! Sincerely, Hardy Parkerson, J.D. (Tulane Law, Class of 1966) Retired Lawyer, after 41 years at the Bar)

********** Ever since I was just a child, I have been taught what a great country the U.S. was because, among other things, we had the Bill of Rights. Now, it is in effect being ignored by the Courts-- especially the local courts--since it is treated just as if it were not there. That's one of the reason bail bonds are fixed so high in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, if not in all Louisiana parishes. In Calcasieu Parish, if you have money... and lots of it...you get justice. No money, no justice. There is more to it all than this, but this is some- thing to think about.

s/HMP

P.S.: Just a few days ago a young man's bond was fixed in the amount of $5-Million. That's the same as "NO BOND AT ALL!" Had he the money to pay a bondsman to bail him out of jail--remember he is "presumed innocent" by the Bill of Rights--the Judges who fixed the amount of his bail bond would get $25,000.00, of the money he had to pay to the bail- bondsman to get bonded out of jail. Justice is all about money in Calcasieu Parish. No money, no justice! However, if you've got money, honey, freedom's on this way; you can buy the best lawyer in town, or even the best deeyea; but you'll never get out of jail without paying those taxes on your bail. In Louisiana there's a tax on the exercise of your constitutional right to be free on bail while awaiting trial.

Comment

report post