A new committee will look into the problem of bail bondsmen allowing suspects to be released from jail on payment plans that make high bails meaningless, officials said Wednesday.
Baltimore City State?s Attorney Patricia Jessamy said she has agreed to head up a subcommittee of the Baltimore City Criminal Justice Coordinating Council aimed at studying the issue.
“It is not against the law for bail bondsmen to allow 10 percent of bail to be paid off on the installment plan,” Jessamy said. “An individual gets a $500,000 bail set on him. Ten percent is $50,000. But he can pay that off on the installment plan, if ever. That is not illegal, but it?s a mockery of the bail bond system.”
Baltimore City Circuit Judge John Glynn said he agreed with Jessamy and saw indigent suspects posting high bonds regularly.
“What you say about the bond situation is patently true,” Glynn said.
According to data presented at Wednesday?s council meeting, four of this year?s 42 gun suspects were out on bail for another gun-related crime at the time they were charged with this year?s shootings.
Jessamy said high bails set up by judges are meaningless if bail bondsmen keep allowing people to pay via installment plans.
“When we argue for high bails and the commissioners and judges set high bails, these people still get out on the street when they have been paying just a small amount to a bail bond company, because this industry is not closely scrutinized and regulated,” she said. “That is a problem.”
