By KHTS Newsroom
U.S. bail law was mostly unchanged from 1789 to 1966 after the American colonists declared their independance from England in 1776, according to the Bail Resource Center & Career Academy.
The Bail Reform Act of 1966 was passed by Congress as a way of making the financial burden on defendants being released from jail as small as possible, and the Bail Reform Act of 1984 was designed to close an unforeseen loophole in the prior act.
“The Bail Reform Acts of 1966 and 1984 really helped shape the way bail works in America today,” said Inessa Chavez, vice president of All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita. “Before the 1966 act was passed, the bail system could– and often did –hurt people instead of helping them.”
For instance, President Lyndon B. Johnson told the story of a man who lost everything while he was in jail before being cleared of all charges during a speech he gave before signing the act.
Related: Bail Bonds In Santa Clarita: The History Of Habeas Corpus
“A man spent two months in jail before being acquitted,” Johnson said during his speech, according to the Bail Resource Center & Career Academy. “In that period, he lost his job, he lost his car, he lost his family– it was split up. He did not find another job, following that, for four months.”
“Sadly, this man’s story was not uncommon before the Bail Reform Act of 1966,” Chavez said. “The bail system was basically biased against the poor, and as a result, the jails were filled with people– sometimes innocent –who should have been out on bail, but just couldn’t afford it.”
While the original act was created with what seemed to be good intentions, it had a major loophole that allowed for the release of many dangerous suspects if they were deemed not to be flight risks.
To close this loophole, the Bail Reform Act of 1984 stipulated that defendants deemed as dangerous to the community would be held until trial and thus denied bail.
Related: Notary, Live Scan Services Available At All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita
Also established by the 1984 act were several new categories of who could be denied bail, including flight risks, the potentially dangerous, those charged with very serious crimes and repeat offenders.
“The new act also granted defendants eligible for bail the right to a bail hearing,” Chavez said.
She continued, “At All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita, we can answer any questions you may have about the bail system and U.S. bail law, and are available 24-7 to walk you through the process if you or your loved one is arrested and charged with a crime.”
Article Source: “California 20-Hour Bail/Recovery Pre-Licensing Education, Volume 1” by the Bail Resource Center & Career Academy
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