Los Angeles Times

Michael Hiltzik: Facing eradication, the bail industry gears up to mislead the public about its value

Few businesses enjoy a reputation for providing a public service as inflated as the bail bond industry.

To hear bail agents talk, they're virtually the only people who can protect innocent communities from violent chaos perpetrated by defendants let out of jail before trial. "The most effective form of release in terms of ensuring appearance at court were releases on a financially secured bail bond," the American Bail Coalition, the industry's trade group, says on its website.

In California, the business of issuing bail bonds for profit is under attack as it is nowhere else in the nation. With the signature of then-Gov. Jerry Brown on a bill dubbed SB 10 in 2018, the state outlawed cash bail for criminal defendants. SB 10 created a new system allowing judges much greater discretion in setting terms of pretrial release for all but the most violent defendants.

Other states have remade their pretrial systems to reduce the role of cash bail, but none has yet gone as far as California.

"Were SB 10 to become

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times2 min read
Martin Scorsese Will Produce And Host A Docudrama Series For Fox Nation Streaming Service
NEW YORK — Martin Scorsese has landed in Fox Nation. The subscription streaming service owned and operated by Fox News Media announced Wednesday that it has signed the Oscar-winning director to produce and host an eight-episode faith-based docudrama
Los Angeles Times13 min read
Why Was 2023 Such A Deadly Year In Los Angeles County Jails? It Depends On Whom You Ask
LOS ANGELES -- It was well after dark, but Tawana Hunter lingered in the hospital parking lot, watching the minutes tick by on her phone. As midnight drew closer, she ran through all the things she wished had been different. She wished her father had
Los Angeles Times3 min readCrime & Violence
Editorial: On Medication Abortion, The Supreme Court May Actually Do The Right Thing
It always seemed farfetched that anti-abortion doctors could argue that they have the right to ask a court to severely restrict a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration simply because they don’t want to treat women who might experienc

Related Books & Audiobooks