I personally have never had to deal with bail or bonds. However, because of a domestic dispute that was pushed far over the edge for too long, I now know the cruelty for which this business exists. It’s like ‘trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip,’ as some old timers would put it. In this case they would be completely right, as this method targets poor and impoverished people and communities which are predominately black and latino. It’s all part of a much bigger scheme within the injustice system. Black and Latino communities are the #1 targets of the injustice system, making it ideal for law enforcement to hunt and pick their prey.

Once apprehended, the charges that are ‘the most serious,’ whether true or not, are recommended to receive high bonds by the arresting officer to the magistrate and that person is held until bonded out or further notice. This is also used to fish out possible drug dealers or those linked to them. Through we have yet to see the manufacturers of street narcotics dealing with the laws. Nonetheless, if you are not linked to someone with the kind of cash it takes to bond you out, then you are stuck in jail until your court date. In Durham County that can mean a minimum of about 1-3 months depending on your charges and judge. Bondsmen are so accustomed to this routine that they are heartless and cruel when it comes to bonding anyone out. You have to have money or they simply will not give you the time of day. And most poor people just do not have 10-15% of $20,000 – $500,000 laying around or saved up, let alone to dish out to the injustice system. The first thing they ask of you is to gather up more poor and impoverished individuals, such as family and friends to pitch their hard earned, low-income dollars to afford them a freedom that, if not for the harassment and lies of law enforcement, they would already have.

Furthermore, these bonds interrupt people’s lives and add to already existing stress. Your life comes to a complete halt and is put on hold when you are in jail and cannot get out because of an unaffordable bond. It seems as if they courts intentionally take their time with these cases just to see if friends or family can possibly come up with the money to free their loved ones. The idea of the bond being placed so that detainees/inmates show up to court is a mere illusion. It is VERY clear why bonds are placed and that is to fish out drug dealers, extort the poor, and money, and control. The court system and bondsmen are the ONLY ones benefitting from bonds, as I am 100% that there are other alternatives to assure that people accused of the most ridiculous crimes can show up to court. – Conscious Mind