Category: bail reform

Bail Bondsman Advocating for Further Fixes to New York Bail Reform

Ricardo Nieves started a bail bonds business at an unlikely time. In April, he opened the door in Monticello, New York, when the bail bonds industry continued to downsize as a direct result of the 2019 state bail reform. The reform dealt away with bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. For those offenses, defendants are…


Hammered by Crime Wave, Chicago Faces Curbs on Pre-Trial Detention

Even as Chicago struggles through mounting crime, public safety advocates expect that worse times are ahead as the state is about to severely curtail pre-trial detention—a policy, they worry, that will to put more criminals on the streets statewide. Already suffering with high rates of violent crime for decades, Chicago saw murders skyrocket in 2020…


Crime Floods American Cities, Where Allowed

News Analysis America is experiencing a major increase in crime. Upon a murder explosion that started in 2020, other forms of criminality have metastasized too over the past year or so, particularly robberies, carjacking, burglaries, and theft. Police agencies across the country report perpetrators becoming more brazen and systematic. The wildfire of villainy is fueled…


Candidates in Their Own Words: Bernie Rivers, Democratic Candidate for Orange County Sheriff, New York

The Epoch Times sat down with Bernie Rivers, the Democratic candidate for Orange County Sheriff at his campaign office in Goshen, New York, on Sept. 26. Rivers, the sole Democratic contender for the county’s top law enforcement job, faces Republican Paul Arteta in the general election. Carmen DeStefano, a retired investigator, also runs as a…


Candidates in Their Own Words: Bernie Rivers, Democrat Candidate for Orange County Sheriff, New York

The Epoch Times sat down with Bernie Rivers, the Democrat candidate for Orange County Sheriff at his campaign office in Goshen, New York, on Sept. 26. Rivers, the sole Democrat contender for the county’s top law enforcement job, faces Republican Paul Arteta in the general election. Carmen DeStefano, a retired investigator, also runs as a…


This Is Not Bail Reform, This Is Insanity

Commentary Last Wednesday, 37-year-old Omar Ursin went to pick up take-out for his family. Witnesses reported that as Ursin was driving down Medera Run Parkway in northeast Harris County, Texas, another car pulled alongside and fired one or more shots into Ursin’s car. When police arrived, they found Ursin had crashed into a tree in…


Orange County District Attorney Links Bail Reform to Overdoes Spike

As the dual forces of the pandemic and fentanyl drive up overdose deaths, bail reform is inflaming the crisis even further, according to Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. Since the pandemic, Orange County drug overdose deaths have climbed from 79 in 2019 to 102 in 2020 and 123 in 2021, according to data published…


Orange County District Attorney Links Bail Reform to Overdose Spike

As the dual forces of the pandemic and fentanyl drive up overdose deaths, bail reform is inflaming the crisis even further, according to Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. Since the pandemic, Orange County drug overdose deaths have climbed from 79 in 2019 to 102 in 2020 and 123 in 2021, according to data published…


District Attorney: 70 Percent of Suspects Released on $0 Bail Committed New Crimes

A Northern California district attorney revealed more than 70 percent of suspects who were released on $0 bail between 2020 and 2021 in his county went on to commit new crimes. “When over 70 percent of the people released under mandated $0 bail policies go on to commit additional crime(s), including violent offenses such as…


NYC Mayor, NYPD Commissioner Call for Changes to Bail Reform Policies Amid Increase in Repeat Offenders

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell are calling for targeted changes to the state’s bail reform policies, citing an increase in crime as well as recidivism. New York passed a bail law in 2019, implemented in 2020, that blocked judges from requiring cash bail for most misdemeanors and…