Transcript
A (0:00)
We have some exciting news. Sisters in Law are going on the road to Atlanta, Georgia on May 3rd. We'll be at the Buckhead Theater. You can get your tickets now@politicon.com tour.
B (0:15)
We have so much fun being together and we have so much fun meeting you. So please come to one of our live shows. It really is a blast. Come, come and join us at the buckhead Theater on May 3, two days before my birthday, by the way. Tickets are available@politicon.com tour please let us see you there. Welcome to this episode of Sisters sidebar with Barb McQuaid and me, Jill Wine Banks. If you have a question for us, please email us at Sisters in lawoliticon or tag us on social media using Sisters in Law. But don't just type your question. If you would, please use a voice memo because we want to hear your voice. So please ask us so that we can play your voice on the show. Email us a voice memo using one of your notes apps and then we'll play it on the show. Before we get started, we are delighted to share that we are doing a live show in Denver, Colorado at the Cervantes masterpiece on April 23rd. Tickets are available at politicon.com tour and we can't wait to see you there. Now let's get started with the questions. Barb, there's an audio question that I want you to answer, and it comes from Abby in Tacoma, Washington.
A (1:45)
Hi, sisters. I am so excited that I might get hurt on the show. Does bail always come with restrictions and
B (1:54)
what determines the rules and are they flexible?
A (1:57)
Thank you so much. Well, thanks for that question, Abby. You know, this question about bail is a great one and it is one that is at the forefront of criminal justice reform. So different jurisdictions have different rules other about bail. In the federal system, there's something called the bail reform act, and there the default is that someone will be released. In my district, people were asked to swear out a $10,000 unsecured bond that was simply a promise to pay $10,000 if they failed to appear for trial. That was a very typical bond. In other jurisdictions, however, where we have what's called cash bail, that is a person has to put up the money to get released. And this is sometimes seen as something that has a negative disparity on people who don't have a lot of resources. Right. If you're Mark Zuckerberg and your bail is $1,000, you think nothing of writing that check. For some people, $1,000 is the same thing as Being detained with no bail whatsoever. But you're right that sometimes conditions come with bail. So the judge's in setting bail is to try to make sure two things are guaranteed. One is the safety of the public. And so if you've got an axe murderer who's been charged, they're probably not getting any bail. They're probably going to be detained because we're worried that this person, regardless of how much money they pay to get out on bail, is still going to pose a danger to the community. So for some people, no bail is available, but for others, the concern is that they will flee. And you want to protect against this risk of flight, that they won't come back for trial. So you need to incentivize them or include some sort of condition that will assist. So it might be they have to surrender their passport. It might be they have to put up a certain sum of money that they will not want to forfeit that will induce them to come back. Sometimes they get an electronic ankle monitor that can track their whereabouts if we're concerned about their flight. So these are some of the kinds of conditions that get put on bail. But it really differs depending on what state you live in and even the county you live in, depending on the culture of the bench where you live. Jill, here's a question for you. This comes from Krista in Cincinnati, Ohio, who says, Jill mentioned last week that the draft was banned. Why is selective service registration still a thing?
