Emptying jails by putting defendants on Pre-Trial Release (ankle monitors) has saved South Florida jails a lot of money, but has also made lots of issues come up…. Hot!
South Florida Criminal Defense Attorneys want Pre-Trial Release for indigents, but not for those who can afford to post bail money. Many doubt that more bureaucrats are the answer and want to see bondsmen return to their historical and dependable function: assuring defendants come to court.
The posting of financial bonds has always worked in South Florida. Bondsmen will hunt down and find their clients…..and they do!
The Pre-Trial Release program believes that an ankle monitor and a bureaucrat peering into a computer monitor will work better. NO says Jacksonville Bail Agents Association and Bondsmen throughout South Florida.
The issue has reached the Florida Legislature with a proposed Senate bill from Sen. John Thrasher (Republican from Jacksonville). The bill is supported by bondsmen throughout South Florida. It sets the correct balance: let indigents (those arrested who have no money) be out on ankle monitors and let those with assets post them to assure their appearance in court.
South Florida Criminal Defense lawyer Ralph Behr has announced his support of Senate Bill 8-00784B-10 believing it will go a long way to make defendants show up in court without burdening the State with the expense of having bureaucrats watch them on GPS monitors. If it aint’ broke don’t fix it: let Bondsmen do it right, better, and cheaper than Big Government!