How Prop 47 is affecting you the taxpayer and public safety

If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know that I include the history for repeat offenders. I also report on people who do not show up and have bench warrants issued, sometimes held for weeks.

People get upset when they hear that people have been booked and released from jail. And then the buck gets passed. Is it the Judge, is it the police that should have asked for a hold, is it the jail?

The DA's office since this January does give input and opposes releases. Judges make decisions whether someone should be released based on many factors including failures to appear and criminal history.

What is the incentive for someone released to appear? Do they have a bail bond? If they are being supervised and monitored by probation, why do their attorneys have to keep track of their court appearances? How many of these failure to appear warrants are issued for people that now qualify for Prop 47.

I cover the courts daily and even without any data, it is not uncommon to have at least 2 failures to appear in 1 court, some days upto 6 plus. We have 5 courts that hear criminal cases. Do the math?

Other than rescheduling court cases over and over, and additional expenditure and backlog of the court calendar, public safety is affected. Resources of law enforcement are being used to locate people who should be showing up in court.

This has become worse since Prop 47. Crimes that were felonies are misdemeanors. Criteria to put someone in jail has changed, more and more people are getting probation. While violent crimes are more serious, so are repeat offenders whose behavior usually escalates each time they are arrested.

You read the arrest reports, you don't need me to tell you that fact.

I spoke to bail bond companies about my observations and asked them about their records on people they bail out showing up for court. It has been months since I can get anyone to go on record. Only 1 bail company agreed to talk with me after a lot of persistence. They have had the same observations I have had about Prop 47 and the effect.

Bill Davidson who has been in the bail bond business for "33 years" said he has "only paid out on 1 person."

He said Prop 47's purpose to keep jail occupancy down has been successful but has the cite and release policy been beneficial to public safety?

Links:

http://www.bailbondinformationcenter.com/Failure-to-Appear.php