In 2018, legislators in Connecticut eliminated cash bail requirements in an effort to reform this part of the judicial system. The law will not go into effect until October 2019, however, so people who are arrested and cannot afford bail before then will still need bail bondsmen service in Stratford, CT. For a fee, they are able to have a surety bond posted and regain their freedom.
The Problem With Cash Bail
The problem with cash bail is that it greatly favors people with higher incomes. Lower-income individuals and those without any savings typically cannot afford bail and do not have assets they could use as collateral. Instead, they rely on a service provider like Aces Bail Bonds Inc.
Release or Incarceration
Not everyone will be eligible to be released on their own recognizance after the new system is implemented. Those who are evaluated as a high risk for fleeing or for being a danger to the community will have to stay behind bars. People who have been arrested for violent crimes also will not be allowed their freedom before trial or before the case ends some other way, such as through a plea bargain.
A large number of criminal offenses that leave defendants stuck behind bars before trial are nonviolent ones and even misdemeanors. Shoplifting is a primary example. A bail bondsmen service in Stratford, CT helps these men and women by posting a bond in lieu of the full cash amount.
Dissatisfaction of Reform Advocates
Not everyone is satisfied with this new legislation, mainly because of the subjectivity of defendant evaluations. They worry that people of color will be detained more frequently than white individuals, for example. Some reform advocates do not like the “either-or” aspect of the upcoming changes. Now, instead of being allowed the chance to pay a higher bail to guarantee the defendant will make all court appearances, a person charged with a more serious offense will remain in jail.
