After allegedly firing shots at a candidate for Louisville mayor, Quintez Brown, getting to walk out of jail and go home, where he'll await his next court hearing.A bail group paid his $100,000 bond, now sparking discussion about a House bill aimed at stopping scenarios like this from happening."I tend to think the courts would uphold it but there are arguments on both sides," NKU Chase College of Law professor Ken Katkin said.House Bill 313, filed by state lawmaker Jason Nemes, would outlaw bail groups like the Louisville Community Bail Fund, the group that released Brown until he faces a judge.Katkin thinks Brown didn't need bond posted in the first place."It would be a very reasonable and permissible conclusion for the judge to reach that this person would pose a danger to the community and doesn't need to have bail available at any level," Katkin said.He said the purpose of bond is to ensure people show up to court, and bail groups could impact that possibility."If I was bailed out of jail by a thousand anonymous strangers and I didn't know who they were, and they're only going to lose a little bit of money each if I don't show up in court, maybe I won't show up in court, right?" Katkin said.He also mentioned that it's harder for poorer people to make bail."If the purpose is to secure that somebody will show up at trial, I think that's going to be constitutional. If the purpose is to just make an unequal justice between richer defendants and poorer defendants, I think that's going to be unconstitutional," Katkin said. Bail groups have been controversial in Ohio as well.Shameka Parrish-Wright is an advocate for them, working with The Bail Project."What makes me sleep at night is 94 percent of the people that we bail out do not go onto prison," Parrish-Wright said. Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters thinks moves like this could be detrimental."I think a guy with multiple gun offenses, getting out is a risk to the community," Deters said.The candidate for mayor, Craig Greenberg, is OK. The bullet ended up grazing his sweater. He said the news of Brown's release had him and his family traumatized again.
After allegedly firing shots at a candidate for Louisville mayor, Quintez Brown, getting to walk out of jail and go home, where he'll await his next court hearing.
A bail group paid his $100,000 bond, now sparking discussion about a House bill aimed at stopping scenarios like this from happening.
"I tend to think the courts would uphold it but there are arguments on both sides," NKU Chase College of Law professor Ken Katkin said.
House Bill 313, filed by state lawmaker Jason Nemes, would outlaw bail groups like the Louisville Community Bail Fund, the group that released Brown until he faces a judge.
Katkin thinks Brown didn't need bond posted in the first place.
"It would be a very reasonable and permissible conclusion for the judge to reach that this person would pose a danger to the community and doesn't need to have bail available at any level," Katkin said.
He said the purpose of bond is to ensure people show up to court, and bail groups could impact that possibility.
"If I was bailed out of jail by a thousand anonymous strangers and I didn't know who they were, and they're only going to lose a little bit of money each if I don't show up in court, maybe I won't show up in court, right?" Katkin said.
He also mentioned that it's harder for poorer people to make bail.
"If the purpose is to secure that somebody will show up at trial, I think that's going to be constitutional. If the purpose is to just make an unequal justice between richer defendants and poorer defendants, I think that's going to be unconstitutional," Katkin said.
Bail groups have been controversial in Ohio as well.
Shameka Parrish-Wright is an advocate for them, working with The Bail Project.
"What makes me sleep at night is 94 percent of the people that we bail out do not go onto prison," Parrish-Wright said.
Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters thinks moves like this could be detrimental.
"I think a guy with multiple gun offenses, getting out is a risk to the community," Deters said.
The candidate for mayor, Craig Greenberg, is OK. The bullet ended up grazing his sweater.
He said the news of Brown's release had him and his family traumatized again.
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