Domestic Violence Las Vegas Bail Bonds May Have Rate Increase

Feb. 13, 2011 - PRLog -- The legislative committee that last year produced some of the most significant changes in Connecticut’s domestic violence laws in decades, wants to tweak the laws some more to provide greater protection for the women and children who are its most frequent victims.

“The committee found some areas, such as the bail bond system offenders, that needs to be fixed,” said state Rep. Mae Flexer, D-Killingly, who chairs the committee. “There are also some other areas, like the training programs for municipal and state police, that we want to evaluate.”

Once the committee has reviewed that, it will prepare a list of recommendations, Flexer said.

Problems in the way offenders can get out of jail on bond after their arrest for domestic violence arise from what appears to be a lack of oversight on the bail bond companies, Flexer said.

“Many of the laws dealing with bail bond issues have no teeth,” she said. “That’s allowed some bail businesses to undersell bail fees, making it much less costly for some offenders to get out of jail very soon after their arrest.”

Flexer said information obtained by the committee showed some companies were offering to post bond for offenders at rates as low as 1 percent. Normally, the companies charge 10 percent of the amount of bail bond. Thus, an offender released on a $5,000 bond, would pay the bondsman $500 to post the bail. The bondsman risks losing his money if the offender fails to appear in court as scheduled.

She said there was an instance in one of the state’s larger cities where an offender was released on a low bail and returned immediately to his victim’s home, where he killed the woman and her child.

The committee also plans to:

• Compare the training municipal police departments receive in handling domestic violence incidents with that given to state troopers.

• Determine the effectiveness of court-provided diversionary programs for first-time offenders.

• Determine if the Department of Children and Families is as sensitive to domestic violence issues as it should be.

James Phaiah, of Brooklyn, who established Jimmy’s Kids Foundation to help combat child abuse, said he’s eagerly watching the committee’s efforts.

For more information, please visit http://www.4kingsbailbonds.com

# # #

4 Kings Bail Bonds offers bail bond services in Las Vegas, Summerlin, Henderson, North Las Vegas. Leader provider of bail bond services in Las Vegas County. Most professional and trusted Las Vegas bail bonds company.