Ohio introduced Senate Bill 182 and House Bill 315 that aims to bring equality to the cash bail bond system. Its goal is to introduce determination on when cash bail is absolutely necessary, ability to pay determination for defendants and that they don’t have to stay in jail because of the inability to pay or due to clerical errors. It also aims to allow the presence of counsel at the release hearings.

The bills show progress for the whole legal system to take note of, tying bail to bank accounts is not necessary when dealing with non-violent and drug offenses. These bills if approved by their voting boards can serve as a prime example of what to do when addressing bail in the criminal justice system. Other states can take notice of these practices and adopt them accordingly. The defendants in the majority of low-level offenses (non-violent) such as simple possession etc are released pre-trial anyway. So, what is the point? In the age of single parents, it’s the children and family members who suffer the most from these strict bail guidelines.

If these bills pass, Ohio is setting itself up to become a trailblazer in the cash bond reform arena. Unfortunately, we will not be surprised to see a lot of opposition from the lobbying community who represent the bail bond business.