While one half of the AIA/ExpertBail team was in St. Louis at the NSA conference. The other half was in Washington D.C. at the National Center for Victims of Crime Conference. The goal of our participation here was education, education and education. Much like the NSA conference, the majority of attendees did not understand why a bail bond brand would be participating in a victims’ advocacy conference. But after two and a half days of discussions followed by a 90 minute worksession on the basics of the bail process and potential synergies where bail agents and victim advocacy can come together, we were able to make huge strides in building awareness and understanding. The presentation was highlighted by Judge Nancy Russo from Ohio, who gave an important “from the bench” perspective on the effectiveness of the bail industry. Judge Russo also provided good insights into other less effective forms of release like 10 percent deposit bail and OR releases.
On Tuesday evening ExpertBail sponsored a leadership awards ceremony that honored Congressman Ted Poe from Texas. As many of you know, Congressman Poe is an avid supporter of commercial bail and fully understands its effectiveness in the criminal justice system. He is currently sponsoring a bill with wide bi-partisan support (HR 1885) that will require that State and local pretrial services agencies receiving federal financial assistance to report to the Department of Justice on defendants released by such agencies, and for other purposes. We applaud Congressman Poe for his efforts. Now what many of you might not know is that Congressman Poe is also a big supporter of victim’ rights. In fact, he has been a strong voice for victims’ rights in Congress for many years. AIA/ExpertBail were extremely proud to sponsor this award and would like to extend a big “thank you” to Congressman Poe and his efforts for bail agents and victim advocates.