{"id":12671,"date":"2025-12-19T14:08:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T22:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aiasurety.com\/bail\/?p=12671"},"modified":"2026-02-25T11:00:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T19:00:43","slug":"the-top-5-bail-stories-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aiasurety.com\/bail\/the-top-5-bail-stories-of-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 5 Bail Stories of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Top 5 Bail Stories of 2025 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"yearAs we approach the end of another trip around the sun, we always like to look back on the year and assess how we did. While 2025 was an up and down year for the bail profession, overall, it was a relatively quiet year for most states around the country. That being said, we did have legislative fights in a few states that are worth mentioning.<\/p>\n

In California, AIA Surety helped put together a coalition of sureties, agents, state associations and District Attorneys that were able to defeat SB 562, a premium refund bill that would have devastated the bail industry. The coalition was able to convince several key legislators of the negative impact the bill would have on the Constitutional right to pre-trial release, public safety and the overall criminal justice system. Our arguments eventually won the day, and the bill was put on hold and pushed to next year as a two-year bill. While we will still have to fight the bill in 2026, we are confident that we have made tremendous progress.<\/p>\n

In Tennessee, we saw a constitutional amendment pass out of the legislature, that will allow judges to preventatively detain people for a long list of crimes. This piece of legislation now goes to a public vote in November. Much like we did in California, we will be working with the Tennessee Association of Professional Bondsmen to build out and work with a coalition of sureties, agents and other criminal justice stakeholders to determine the best strategy and approach for addressing the upcoming vote.<\/p>\n

Lastly, like in Tennessee, Delaware was able to pass a constitutional amendment allowing judges to preventatively detain people who have not only been accused of capital murder, but also other explicit high-level felonies. However, unlike Tennessee, a public vote is not required to change the constitution. We will just have to wait and see in 2026 how this new legislation impacts the bail industry in Delaware.<\/p>\n

\"topLooking back on the year, there are 5 bail related stories and news articles that we believe had the biggest impact this year. So here they are, the top 5 bail stories of 2025.<\/p>\n

#5:\u00a0<\/strong>Defeating SB562 in California<\/strong>
\nA strong coalition of sureties, agents and criminal justice stakeholders helped get several key legislators to reconsider the implications of SB 562 (the premium refund bill) in the California Assembly Public Safety Committee.<\/p>\n

#4: <\/strong>Historic Texas Bail Reform
\n<\/strong>Texas passes one of the strongest bail reform packages in the state\u2019s history, including SB9 (regulating charitable bail funds), SB40 (preventing public money from being used to pay for bail bonds), HB75 (magistrates must make written findings), and SJR5 (a constitutional amendment allowing the denial of bail for certain felonies).<\/p>\n

#3: <\/strong>Iryna\u2019s Law
\n<\/strong>The North Carolina legislature passed \u201cIryna\u2019s Law\u201d after the tragic stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte\u2019s light rail system by a violent repeat offender. The new law broadens the term \u201cviolent offense\u201d to include any felony crime involving physical violence.<\/p>\n

#2: <\/strong>AIA Surety Leaves the American Bail Coalition
\n<\/strong>AIA Surety has decided to leave the American Bail Coalition. Instead, AIA Surety will work around the country to build long-term, effective coalitions with sureties, agents, associations and other key criminal justice stakeholders to protect, promote and preserve the bail profession.<\/p>\n

#1: <\/strong>Ending Cashless Bail in Washington DC
\n<\/strong>On August 25, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order to end the use of \u201cCashless Bail<\/a>\u201d in Washington DC. Also, the executive order directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify those jurisdictions around the country who utilize cashless bail policies in their criminal justice systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Top 5 Bail Stories of 2025 As we approach the end of another trip around the sun, we always like to look back on the year and assess how we did. While 2025 was an up and down year for the bail profession, overall,… <\/p>\n

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