In the latest publication “The History of Bail and Pretrial Release,” issued by the Pretrial Justice Institute, Jerry Watson was given an extraordinary honor of being identified as the chief instigator behind the commercial bond industry’s pretrial debate. The exact quote from the publication is below:
“The commercial bail bond industry’s national agenda has been manifested mostly through the work of Jerry Watson, Chief Legal Officer of AIA, past head of the American Bail Coalition, and past chairman of ALEC. Both ALEC and the for-profit bail bonding industry have attempted to push nationally a model bill titled the “Citizens Right to Know: Pretrial Release Act,” which would place numerous (and in most cases, additional) reporting requirements on pretrial services agencies. In support of this and other bills, in April 2010, AIA and ALEC sent copies of the publication, Taxpayer Funded Pretrial Release – A Failed System, to 2,500 legislators across the country.”
While we know that PJI prides itself on providing accurate statistics and facts, they unfortunately got another one incorrect…the booklet was not distributed to 2,500 legislators; it was distributed to 6,000 legislators across the country. If you would like a copy please visit www.pretrialtruth.com and request a copy. Additionally, click on the following link if you would like to read about The History of Bail and Pretrial Release from PJI’s perspective.
When told that he had just been honored by the PJI with such a noble designation, Jerry simply replied,
“I have been so long at the bail bond business that I have been privileged to receive a number of recognitions, but I prize above all others being identified by the pretrial release world as their ‘public enemy number one’. What a great honor!”
We would like to thank the PJI for this honor and would like to extend another thank you for their continued wise use of public funds to promote AIA and the great work Jerry has done for the bail bond industry.