Mychal Bell’s $45,000 Bail

 

Mychal Bell’s $45,000 Bail

 

 

It’s Monday. Memorial Day to be exact. I’m home. I’m enjoying the peace and quiet. Except of course, for the noises I make, as I occupy my small nook of the North Bronx. Thank goodness I live by quiet neighbors, who by and large, try to make as little noise as possible as they go about living their lives as I go about living my own.

I’m catching up on my email. I’m in the midst of reading an article sent to me by my DOD the informer, who keeps me up to date on the goings on of the world. It features Mychal Bell and the Jena 6. The article, posted on www.cnn.com, reports that a judge set his bail at $45,000.

Out of habit, I continued reading the article, to find out what else had happened to this young man, actually, a juvenile, according to Louisiana law at the time. A few thoughts crossed my mind. I knew a former colleague who might have followed this case, as part of an interest in seeking alternatives to the current criminal justice system. But then, my eyes went back to the figure, $45,000. It was then that it hit me: the article said that Bell was released from custody after the judge set bail. That figure: 45K. Suddenly, it, by itself, loomed very large. Why?

I am aiming for $20,000 less for my own personal reasons, and even that seems like a very large sum of money, despite the fact that I make more than this per year. My salary, though, is spread out over time, and this decree, did not take a year for the judge to arrive at, if my knowledge of criminal proceedings serves me. But how much do I know anyway.

So, I am taking a close look at my assumptions. For one, I really have no idea of the purpose of bail. What is bail? I’ve found out that it is a security paid in exchange for release from imprisonment and as assurance for an appearance in court.

According to the article written about Mychal Bell’s association with the infamous Jena 6, he has had a sketchy history as a law-abiding citizen, and had broken his probation terms, which I would like to safely assume had some impact on the terms of bail set forth on his behalf. I wish I could know what legal factors come into play when setting bail. As I skim the article, looking for more information on this aspect of his situation, I read that Bell’s previous bail had been set for $90,000, twice as much as the more recent bond. At the time of publication, Bell’s was 17 years old. There are not many 17 year old young men, who have $90,000 lying around or even $45,000 lying around to pay in exchange for release from custody. So, I ask, what is the purpose of setting this figure so very high? And what is the precedent?

Several questions come to mind, as I consider this figure:

How does the system arrange for this to be paid?

What factors determine bail?

How is bail broken down in terms of expense?

How effective is bail , in terms of deterring crime in New Orleans, the Bronx, or the United States in general?

All feedback, and references information is welcome!