Bail is the Glue that Keeps Families Involved in the Criminal Justice System Together

In the heated national debate over bail reform and cashless bail, one critical perspective is often overlooked: the real families left scrambling when a working parent is arrested for a minor offense. In a recent article, President of the Mississippi Bail Agents Association, Mike Morrison writes about the misrepresented and misunderstood role that bail bond agents play in ensuring families are kept together during the criminal justice process. 

Across Mississippi and the rest of the country, arrests frequently happen late at night or on weekends—DUI, traffic violations, or other non-violent charges that do not involve hardened criminals. Without easy access to an effective pretrial release mechanism like a surety bail bond, the accused has the potential to remain in jail longer than necessary. 

Cashless Bail Creates Delays and Keeps Families Apart

This delayed and unnecessary incarceration is often overlooked and misunderstood. Many bail reform policies that have been supported and promoted by advocacy groups that want to abolish financially secured release have had the opposite impact on the criminal justice system.  They have led to longer pretrial stays and in some cases preventative detention of those that might be able to secure a bail bond if allowed.  When defendants are detained because of these policies it can instantly threaten the stability of an entire household that depends on the incarcerated person’s ability to work and provide for their family.

Pretrial detention, even for just a few days, creates devastating ripple effects. Employees with strict attendance policies lose jobs, rent and utilities go unpaid, and children’s routines collapse. Decades of research confirm that people held in jail before trial are far more likely to lose employment and suffer long-term financial harm. For families already living paycheck to paycheck, a short stint behind bars can push them into crisis—exactly the outcome many bail reform advocates hoped to prevent, yet cashless bail policies in some jurisdictions have sometimes replaced one problem with another by removing the flexible release option that bail bonds have traditionally provided.

Surety Bail is Not the Problem, it is the Solution

Licensed bail bond agents, that are heavily regulated by state departments of insurance, step in at this exact moment to restore balance. A licensed bondsman not only posts the bond for rapid release but also guides families through the court process, explains deadlines, and helps ensure the defendant appears as required. This human-centered service keeps the accused connected to work, family, and community while still guaranteeing accountability to the court. In the ongoing conversation about bail reform and cashless bail, the proven role of bail bond agents and financially secure release through a surety bond shows that the traditional system—when used properly—protects both public safety and family stability far better than one-size-fits-all alternatives.  Below is a brief snippet from Mr. Morrison’s article…

The Hidden Cost of Pretrial Detention: What Happens to the Families When a Parent Goes to Jail

By Mike Morrison

When most people think about bail, they picture a legal process, paperwork, and court dates. What they often do not see is the very real human story that unfolds behind the scenes — the story of a family trying to hold everything together when a parent is suddenly taken to jail.

Across Mississippi and throughout the country, it is very common for an arrest to occur late at night or over a weekend.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE>>>