A few months ago, I posted about how the abusive pre-trial detention system known as “bail” has tarnished our system of justice and upset me as a criminal defense attorney.
You can read the full post here, but essentially I gave my opinion as a criminal lawyer that the system of bail creates a sort of class based justice that results in poor people languishing in jail for long periods of time for crimes they haven’t been convicted of. If the individual can’t afford to post bail, or they don’t know anyone who can help them either, they won’t be able to leave the jail. And this is regardless of whether they’re innocent or not. However, I do like the idea of knowing that places like Riverside Bail Bonds are on hand to help people when it comes to posting the right amount of money for their bail. You could say that it even gives someone hope that they can leave there sooner rather than later. But this is just a small part of it that I like. If there are others, I just haven’t thought about them yet. The basic point was that the system should be totally overhauled. It appears that it’s not just me – a criminal defense attorney – who feels this way. That’s right, a State Senator (who is not a criminal lawyer to my knowledge) introduced a bill – S5988A (click here to view the bill) – which would drastically change the “speedy trial” statute in the Criminal Procedure Law. Any criminal lawyer will know the finer points of the speedy trial statute, but suffice it to say that the proposed changes will eliminate much of the potential for people to rot in cells for crimes they are only accused of. That is welcome news to this criminal defense attorney. One of the biggest obstacles I run into as a criminal lawyer is that people in jail lose hope and just plead guilty to resolve their case quickly and get out of jail, but as you can see from this page from a criminal defense lawyer, the lawyer will do everything in their power to prove someone’s innocence. Taking a guilty plea when it’s not true is far more damaging to someone’s reputation and livelihood compared to waiting for the trail. It’s always a breath of fresh air when a client is out of jail and has the freedom to insist on a trial, which is something I love to do as a criminal defense attorney. Maybe if the bill becomes law, this criminal lawyer will get to do more trials in the Fort Edward, Hudson Falls, Glens Falls, Queensbury, Lake George and Saratoga Springs areas.
If you’re in New Jersey and are in need of criminal defense for eluding police, you might want to reach out to the Law Office of Jason A. Volet.