YSNEWS.COM's recent article "Efforts to seek bail reform" is full of ambiguous statements misinforming the public in support of the extreme left nationwide movement on bail reform. Writing about inmates being detained because they are poor "Many .....remained behind bars over the holidays, lacking the bail money that allows release until a scheduled court date". "More specifically, nearly 70% of the people detained in Greene County at the time of a 2018 report were awaiting judgement and were unable to pay bail."
Our Response: List specific names to support your claim (public record). Do some fact checking! 70 percent of the people were there because they could not afford bail is one of the biggest false statements in the article- but there is more.
Our Response: People are in jail because they broke the law it is not because they are poor. When you claim that over half the incarcerated people in the Greene county jail are there because they cannot afford bail you are doing a disservice to the responsible media, the court system, and the people in the community. When you do not exclude people that are waiting on trial but will not get out because they have holders from other agencies (probation, parole, other law enforcement agencies, etc...) you are creating a false narrative and you are a part of the problem.
-Taking away a tool for judges to use to free people until the go to trial is not a solution
-Implying that Greene county judges would allow people to be in jail because they are poor is a vicious attack on highly qualified people that have sworn to serve and protect the people in Greene county. (it is highly offensive). You should consider putting in some work to show specific names of people that support your claims. Do a little research before attacking the professionalism and integrity of the Greene county court system.
The YSNEWS reported, "The Yellow Springs Village Council signaled its support of bail reform efforts at the Dec.21 meeting when it unanimously passed a resolution of the end of cash bail". "Villager Pat Dewees told the Council that other parts of the county had already done away with cash bail, including the states of New Jersey, Alaska, and the District of Columbia as well....A lot of people have suffered a lot with the system of punishing poor people...."
Our Response: Please take the time to specifically define cash bail. Is it when you pay cash for an electric monitoring system through probation? Is it when you pay ten percent cash to the court on a ten percent bond that is given a false amount? What exactly is "cash bail." If you are wanting to call for an end to something you should at least be able to clearly define it.
If you really cared about a system that you feel is punishing poor people, why would you want to do away with one of the tools judges have to ensure their release? How much does it cost people to be release through pre-trial services? (cost to pay probation officer, cost to pay for electronic monitoring, etc...)
The reality is it starts in the public school system. It is negatively reflected on the school system if a unruly, law breaking student is suspended or removed from school. They get out into the real world and learn, there is consequences for illegal behavior. Now, it appears the village of Yellow Springs is being advocates to do away with consequences for crime. ( We agree with reform of non-violent crimes- 100%- especially the ridiculous traffic laws). But there has to be a consequence for crime, if it isn't jail what is it? There has to be a consequence or the crime and warrant rate in Ohio will continue surpass record levels.
LeVesconte was quoted in the article as saying, "The time is right for common sense bail reform."
Our Response: Common sense bail reform would include understanding a system before wrecking it. In order to have understanding, you need to be able to specifically define what happens in the process of an arrest all the way up to disposition date. Doing away with tools for judges to use to allow the "least restrictive form of bail" would not eliminate any options for people to get out of jail.
Our Response: Before getting to the root cause of a problem, you need to be able to determine accurate data and not use generalized reports that cannot be supported by accurate and specific data. Despite the article suggesting that there are about 70 percent of the people in Greene county in jail awaiting trial because they are poor.... be truthful. List the 70 percent of the inmates names that are there because they cannot afford bail. It is a matter of public record so show the community you are using accurate data to support change. Do not include people that cannot get out even if bail is posted- stop creating false narratives if you really want to make a difference.
Maybe consider inviting local bail professional to be on the panel so they can offer insight and a more complete perspective on how the bail system works. After all, if you truly wanted a common sense bail reform why wouldn't you include the input from all the people involved in the bail system in Greene county? If you are not trying to manipulate or hide content or fudge data you would not have a need to exclude any group from having input from a local representative on a new common sense bail initiative. The most tenured bail bond office in Greene County is across the street from the courthouse- Castle Bail Bonds. My guess is you have yet to reach out to them for any type of objective input in this "common sense effort".
