What happens when someone doesn’t pay their bail bond?
A virtual public discussion at noon Tuesday hopes to answer that question, as well as advocate for a community bail fund. Co-sponsored by the Race Matters, Friends Community Bail Fund, the League of Women Voters of Columbia-Boone County and the Daniel Boone Regional Library, “Why Bail Keeps Poor People in Jail” aims to educate the public about the bail process.
Peggy Placier, a member of Race Matters, Friends and the League of Women Voters, will speak on why she believes the bail fund to be a necessity.
“Some members of RMF saw a nationally recognized need to help people get out of the Boone County Jail,” Placier said. “We found that some people, even with very low-level charges, like traffic, trespassing, minor possession or shoplifting, had no money to pay their bail.”
The fund, which grew out of Race Matters, Friends and now operates as a separate organization, is used to pay bail for offenders up to $2,000. Volunteers help pick up the accused and provide transportation to court.
"We say accused because they have not been convicted of crime, but they are being punished by being held in jail until trial,” Placier said.
Traditionally, bail has been used to allow people to be released from detention while also ensuring they would show up in court. If the person doesn’t show up for court, the money can come under the jurisdiction of the court presiding over the case.
“They’re operating on a risky business in some respects,” Placier said.
A bail bond is a fee paid to a third party or bail bonds company, usually 10% of the total bail. If the defendant does not appear for trial, the company must pay the full bail amount to the court.
Volunteers with the fund help clients not only by paying off bail, but also helping them get to court.
“With our homeless clients, they often forget even what day it is,” Placier said. “Some don’t even have a way to get to the courthouse.”
No matter the reason, when clients fail to appear for court, judges can issue a warrant for their arrest. The bail fund’s clients are often poor, qualifying for public defenders, Placier said. If the accused doesn’t have money to pay bail or doesn’t know anyone with the money, their life can come to a screeching halt — a fact that Placier believes is contradictory to due process.
“They’re just being punished before they’ve even gone to court, been tried, convicted or declared innocent,” she said. “They could spend months in jail, and even if they get proven innocent, they’ve been away from their families.”
Those interested in the Tuesday event can register via Zoom.