Ahead of a key meeting Friday to propose changes in the state’s cash-bail system, some judges in Maryland have cut back significantly on setting bail for defendants, according to one of the state’s leading bail bondsmen. Morrissey was reacting to a recent opinion from state Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) that cash bail could be discriminatory and unconstitutional. Shellenberger, a conservative Democrat, said that he is “not opposed to bail reform” but feels “there is a place for bail in our system. Those lawmakers plan to introduce bills outlawing cash bail during the upcoming legislative session, which starts in January. He accused Frosh, who pushed for bail reform when he was a state senator, of trying to circumvent the legislative process.

Source: Washington Post November 17, 2016 18:32 UTC