Appropriate bail amounts will ensure offenders appear for court

Appropriate bail amounts will ensure offenders appear for court

In a recent Letter to the Editor (Jan 30 2020) in the Indy Star, a resident had this to say about the recent criminal justice reform debate. We couldn’t agree more. (republishing with permission)

Rick Snyder, president of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, said during a recent radio interview that Marion County has 21,000 open warrants for failure to appear. Clearly, the combination of $500 cash bail and ankle monitor is not working. Marion County’s current bail system is less about ensuring offenders appear for court and more about generating revenue for the county. Repeat offenders must be very pleased with this arrangement.

Here’s the rub. A $500 cash bail and ankle monitor are more expensive to offenders yet provide less of an appearance guarantee than does a bail bond. How is that, you ask? In addition to depositing $500 cash, an ankle-monitor costs a defendant up to $15 per day. That’s $450 per month or $5,400 a year. By comparison posting a bail bond for as high as $10,000 costs a one-time premium of $800.

If the defendant is not produced, the $10,000 bond is paid to the state, split between the Common School Fund, Sheriffs Extradition Fund and Police Pension Fund. Family and friends also cosign – like a car loan – and provide further supervision of the offender while their case is pending. There is clear incentive for a bail agent to do their job.

Any discussion of reforms to Marion County’s pretrial release system should include a return to setting appropriate bail amounts that will ensure offenders appear for court. Hoosiers deserve nothing less.

– Michael Whitlock, Indianapolis