Bail Bonds Vs. PreTrial Programs

Much has been made in the media about the expansion of pretrial release programs. Bail bodnsmen see this as an encroachment of their market, while many public entities believe is in the best interest of the communities. More specifically, the budget. Bail bondsmen are right to point out that they incur a number of costs that will become the responsibility of the county or other governmental body with pretrial release programs. How about defendant monitoring? Part of the cost of doing business for a bail bondsman. How about fugitive recovery? There again, on the bail bondsman's dime. These and other things will become additional and virtually uncontrollable costs with pretrial release programs. I am afraid, this is another instance of the private sector having the ability to do something better, more efficiently and more cost effectively than the governement.