The first point of argument in favor of killing cash bail is that poor people cannot afford to bail out and are forced to sit weeks or months on end until their case is adjudicated. Well common sense would tell me that if these folks are facing low level crimes and they pose no flight risk, why not just have the judge release them on their own recognizance once they've been in jail several days and did not bond out? Could it be that many people 'stuck' in jail for weeks have a history of FTAs? (failing to appear to court). Or maybe they do pose a flight risk if someone is not putting up money? What about reasonable bail to be set in the first place? Many misdemeanor crimes like battery domestic violence or DUI/DWI have historically had HIGH bail amounts--even for 1st offenses in California jurisdictions. Try $20,000 to $50,000 bail for instance! No wonder folks were sitting. Even after trying to come up with 8-10% to pay a bondsman, that is $1600-$5,000 in non-refundable bail premium to pay a bondsman. Why not just set reasonable bails in the first place? Like $2,000-$3,000 or so for those offenses like in Nevada. Are you telling me a person in jail can't come up with $200-$300 to bail out of jail between himself, his friends, his co-workers, and his family? California was inventing a fake crisis and their solution is unfair and no doubt will contribute to lawlessness and emboldened criminal activity. If someone can burglarize your home and just be released for free in 18 hours (if the police are good enough to catch him), do you think he will take his court obligations seriously?
Not only will bail bonds be eliminated in October of 2019, but all financial guarantees or payments for bail. This is different than say Oregon or Illinois where you still pay a percentage in cash to the jail/court directly to secure the defendant's release. The unintended consequences of the California changes will be vast and detrimental to society--both for Californians and the rest of us.