My wife Marcia and I attended a fundraiser last evening called “A Night with the Network”. The event’s purpose was to raise money for the Domestic Violence Network whose goal is to end domestic violence in Indiana.
The venue for this event was the Indianapolis Art Center in mid-town Indianapolis. A great setting to hold a fundraiser that included a silent auction, wine tasting and cigar bar. In the end a lot money was raised for a very worthy cause.
The event program states that one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime and 1.3 million are victims of physical assault each year. These are startling numbers.
At one point DVN Executive Director asked those in the audience to raise their hand if they had any front-line involvement in dealing with domestic violence. I thought about that for a quick second then raised my hand. The bail profession does have at the very least a lateral involvement with domestic violence cases. Bail agents make sure the person charged with the offense appears to court and that is no small contribution. I don’t write retail bail however our company does provide financial backing to those who do, so I raised my hand.
Regardless if the court sets bail in a domestic violence case at $500 as is typical in Huntsville, Alabama or $50,000 as it is typical in Los Angeles, CA, bail agents understand their role; supervise the client and make sure they appear for court until the case is adjudicated. Aside from keeping an offender locked behind bars until trial, is there any more critical a contribution to the process than that provided by a bail agent?
The Domestic Violence Network and victims group like it are valuable assets in helping victims of crime and working to eliminate physical and mental abuse. It was a nice evening, a worthwhile event and Marcia and I were honored to attend.