NEWS & INFO

In this time of social uncertainty due to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, could a drop in crime be a silver lining? Police from around the country – from Vermont to Indiana to California – are saying that crime rates are declining. Officers in Maine, already with one of the lowest crime rates in the country, say that they’re getting called into much fewer disputes because people are spending less time together in public settings. “We are [...]

As you are undoubtedly aware, crime continues despite the coronavirus. We just wanted to send a reminder that we are here for you and your clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our offices are open, and we are following public health guidelines for disinfecting and social distancing. If people don’t want to be face-to-face, we can process bail bonds electronically. This has been an excellent option for our clients in recent days and they [...]

By some reports, youth violence in Atlanta has become an ‘epidemic’ with a county-wide rate that is nearly 15% higher than the national average. Obviously, incarceration is one way to punish offenders, but is there a better way to intervene in the lives of these youth and help them turn their lives around? In August 2019, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve funding for Project Level Up, an intervention program piloted by the [...]

When a person gets arrested, it’s critical for him or her to make their court appearance. If they don’t, they will be held in contempt of court and face a bench warrant – a warrant for their arrest due to nonappearance. This second arrest may cause the court to set a higher bail amount or eliminate the possibility of bail altogether. Often, a failure to appear in court isn’t intentional – sometimes people move or get a [...]

As cities and states across the United States approve legalization of cannabis for recreational use, can Georgia be far behind? After all, with Atlanta as the cultural and economic hub of the Southeast, you would expect that we might follow in the footsteps of cities like Los Angeles and Chicago in terms of legalizing this popular substance. It’s important to know that, for most people, it’s still illegal to possess marijuana in the state of Georgia. However, [...]

Did you know that America’s prison population more than quadrupled over the last four decades? With more communities taking a ‘tough on crime’ stance toward offenders, especially repeat offenders, the number of people behind bars grew at a staggering rate. According to the National Research Council and The Sentencing Project, “harsh sentencing laws like mandatory minimums, combined with cutbacks in parole release, have kept people in prison for longer periods of time. There has also been a [...]