Author: tkanger

I heard the news over the weekend HCC Surety acquired Bail USA making them one of the largest commercial surety underwriters in the country.  Congratulations to all parties involved.  Consolidation is a rare occurrence in our industry and I hope it proves a successful acquisition for HCC. Today I’ll be attending a meeting of the American Bail Coalition Board of Directors where work will continue on efforts to retain commercial bail as the vital component it is within the criminal justice system.  Rarely does a day go by where I and many others are working on issues related to ABC’s initiatives across the country.  The most recent concern is legislation proposed by Connecticut Governor Malloy to replace bail bonds with a 10 percent deposit scheme which I wrote about in…

Connecticut’s Governor Malloy issued a press release last week announcing his new crime reduction initiative Second Chance 2.0.  In his press release Governor Malloy is quoted as saying crime is down, recidivism is down and prison population is down.  Astonishingly, after citing all this success, he says more reforms are needed.  Who can argue against efforts or programs to facilitate a reduction in crime?  I’m all for it.  Where bail agents come into play is when those expensive programs didn’t work in some cases and someone did commit a crime, perhaps several of them and they were arrested.  That’s where bail agents enter the picture.  Bail agents work with family members and the defendant to make sure all appearances are made and justice is served.  So, why is there a…

How was your Christmas?  Mine was good.  It was spent with family.  My wife gave me a Go Pro.  An interestingchoice for me.  On occasion when leaving the house I would say I was going base jumping.  I didn’t think she took me seriously.  I am looking forward to getting some fast action video on the golf course this summer. Speaking of interesting choices have you been reading about the lawsuit filed in San Francisco by a couple of Harvard Boys?  Seems they want to get rid of the bail schedule.  They say it’s unfair to the poor and unconstitutional.  Their true goal is to release all criminal offenders without requiring any bail to guarantee appearance.  Clearly, increasing public safety and personal accountability is not one of their New Year’s…

The Sentencing Commission for the State of Connecticut issued a press release December 17 stating at the request of Governor Malloy the Commission will be studying the current bail system and diversionary programs for their “efficacy and cost effectiveness”.  The Commission projected it would take one year to provide recommendations to that state’s legislature meaning there would be no legislative proposals until 2017. What is occurring in Connecticut is just one more example of a state taking a look at their criminal justice system.  The objective, determine if the system is equitable and fair.  Are there too many people in prison?  Is there a class of criminal offenders being unfairly treated?  Are treatment plans or prison sentences the answer?  Should everyone deemed by a judge to be a threat to…

It’s very possible you have been hearing a lot about the American Bail Coalition (ABC) recently.  With on-going efforts to reduce or eliminate the use of money bail in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico and Utah, ABC has had a full plate.  Wherever the use of commercial bail has been in jeopardy ABC has been there to advocate, testify and educate local officials and decision makers on the efficacy of bail bonds. The American Bail Coalition was formed in 2001 as a continuation of the National Association of Bail Underwriters (NABIC).  Today ABC members include the majority of the largest and most prestigious surety bail underwriters in the Nation. While ABC has always been known as a bail surety company association, the…

 What to make of Equal Justice Under Law (EJUL) and the efforts to eliminate the use of commercial bail?  According to the website for this D.C. based group, they filed nine lawsuits in seven states seeking to do away with any form of guarantee that would assure a criminal offender appears for court.  EJUL’s latest volley is a suit filed against the City and County of San Francisco and The State of California. Before now EJUL has filed lawsuits in small counties with few resources who have had little choice but to enter a settlement.  The San Francisco case which was filed in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco seeks to eliminate the use of bail schedules and financial damages for their clients. While bail agents may be concerned…

Last Friday I travelled to Newhall, California to attend the funeral of longtime surety representative Scott Anschultz.  Scott worked for several decades in the bail profession in both the retail and surety side of the business.  The chapel was filled with family members, friends and associates from the bail industry. Scott was remembered for his love of family, sense of humor, and his commitment to his profession.  Scott was a strong supporter of the California Bail Agents Association and Professional Bail Agents of the United States, where he had been inducted into the PBUS Hall of Fame. Scott, like many of us who have been working in bail for several decades, lived through the evolution of the bail profession from the encroachment of unsecured pretrial release initiatives to shifting marketing…

I traveled to New York City earlier this week where I attended a meeting of the American Bail Coalition and prominent members of the local bail bond community.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss New York’s current bail system and efforts by some politicos to provide taxpayer funded bail to criminal offenders to the exclusion of bail bonds and to develop solutions to address their concerns. New York City has a large criminal justice system with more than 10,000 people in jail on any given day.  Most criminal offenders are released on their own recognizance while a much smaller percentage is released on a secured bail bond. New York State has a massive criminal justice system with many areas that require reform.  There are those who want to…

It’s been an unusually hot summer in the Pacific Northwest.  Seattle saw a streak of 90 degree days recently not experienced since the summer of 1981.  I experienced this first hand while in Washington State last week visiting American Surety agents in Vancouver, Olympia, Port Orchard and Kennewick.  On top of the heat was the lack of rain and resulting in water rationing due to the extreme drought conditions and the smoke in the area from the forest fires. While in Kennewick I was invited on a ride-along by Sgt. Erik Magnuson of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.  I immediately jumped at the offer.  Bail agents and law enforcement complement each other, they arrest them and we make sure the get to court.  I really wanted to experience the world…

It's good to be at home this week working in our northside Indianapolis office.  I've never minded traveling the country visiting with bail agents though spending time at home with family is always welcome. It's looks like I'm not the only in Indianapolis this week. The National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA) is holding its 43rd Annual Conference and Training Institute at the JW Marriott Hotel situated downtown next to Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians. The Circle City is a great convention destination.  As a taxpayer I'm happy to have them spend their money in our city.  That said Indiana has largely gone towards the 90 percent discounted bail folks so our state doesn't make for fertile farmland for the NAPSA version of pretrial release. You may…