> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://mike-morrison-public-safety-and-accountability.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 25 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY: DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STAND ON PROFESSIONAL SURETY BAIL? - URL: https://mike-morrison-public-safety-and-accountability.ghost.io/25-days-until-election-day-do-you-know-where-your-candidates-stand-on-professional-surety-bail/ - Published: 2026-10-10T00:53:43.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-17T02:44:39.000Z - Author: Michael D. Morrison - Tags: accountability, Bail, behind the scenes, constitutional bail rights, Court System, failure to appear, goverment overreach, Legal History, Mike Morrison Bail Bonding, News, Pretrial Reform > **"Why a Candidate’s Legal Record Matters for Community Safety, Accountability, and the Future of Our Profession"** In 25 days, Mississippi professional bail agents, our families, neighbors, and friends will head to the polls. The November 3 election will determine who represents us in Washington, where decisions involving criminal justice policy can affect our careers, businesses, and communities. Before casting your vote, do you know where the candidates stand on Professional Surety Bail? Have they publicly addressed our profession, or are their positions still unknown? Mississippi's First Congressional District provides an example of why a candidate's record matters. Cliff Johnson, a congressional candidate and Director of the MacArthur Justice Center's Mississippi office, has overseen litigation challenging financial bail and municipal court practices. These efforts involved Jackson, Moss Point, Corinth, and Meridian, with related reform activity in Biloxi and litigation involving several Mississippi counties. In Jackson, a 2016 settlement eliminated secured financial bail for municipal misdemeanor prosecutions, removing Professional Surety Bail from those cases. The resulting agreements changed procedures governing pretrial release, outstanding warrants, and failures to appear. These decisions have implications beyond the courtroom. When defendants fail to appear, criminal proceedings can be delayed, victims may wait longer for resolution, witnesses can become unavailable, and law enforcement must devote resources to locating defendants. Mississippi Code §99-43-19 recognizes a crime victim's right to final disposition without unreasonable delay. Justice delayed can become justice denied. Professional Surety Bail provides an independent third party with contractual and financial responsibility for a defendant's appearance. Removing that arrangement changes the accountability structure and leaves courts relying on other enforcement mechanisms. Yet comprehensive published evaluations have not established whether the Mississippi settlements improved court attendance, reduced subsequent criminal activity, or affected the resolution of outstanding cases. Those results are essential to understanding the consequences for public safety. Johnson's litigation history documents his involvement in changing Mississippi's pretrial practices. His specific intentions concerning federal legislation affecting Professional Surety Bail remain a question for examination, alongside the positions and public records of the other candidates seeking office. Over the next 25 days, learn about the candidates. Ask questions. Google their names, examine their involvement in legislation and lawsuits, and find out what they have done in Mississippi. Campaign materials tell you what candidates want you to know, but their public records provide a history that cannot be replaced by advertising. Before Election Day, make certain you understand both their past actions and their positions on the issues that matter to you. References [MacArthur Justice Center's description of Johnson's responsibilities](https://www.macarthurjustice.org/team%5Fmember/cliff-johnson/?ref=mike-morrison-public-safety-and-accountability.ghost.io), [account of Mississippi municipal settlements](https://www.macarthurjustice.org/mississippi-city-agrees-to-overhaul-fine-and-bail-practices-following-investigation-by-civil-rights-organizations/?ref=mike-morrison-public-safety-and-accountability.ghost.io) [Class-action Settlement in Mississippi “Debtors’ Prison” Case | Prison Legal News![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/00/fd/00fd0d7a-5dbf-4abb-b1ce-af93b19f871f/content/images/icon/faviconV2-b132e74a-2dfc-41a0-b742-39d567cacf84.jpg)Prison Legal NewsDerek Gilna![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/00/fd/00fd0d7a-5dbf-4abb-b1ce-af93b19f871f/content/images/thumbnail/f_logo_RGB-Blue_144-1928299d-0eee-4adc-bc49-48315f0fb143.png)](https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2018/oct/12/class-action-settlement-mississippi-debtors-prison-case/?ref=mike-morrison-public-safety-and-accountability.ghost.io) [City of Meridian to stop jailing over feesMississippi Public Broadcasting is MPB. Mississippi is Our Mission. Get the latest news on Tate Reeves, the Election and updates on Television, Radio and Online![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/00/fd/00fd0d7a-5dbf-4abb-b1ce-af93b19f871f/content/images/icon/4f4c3ded76_MPB-outline-20blue-fa01d253-ed36-4b57-bfe7-28ac83b3aa48.png)MPB — Mississippi Public Broadcastingjasmine ellis![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/00/fd/00fd0d7a-5dbf-4abb-b1ce-af93b19f871f/content/images/thumbnail/20190403_002127_437624_24270b47-155d-d235-07ad1565a586f1b3_home-banner-cropped-42e63235-4bdc-4a6c-a4c9-568e375876ef.jpg)](https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/the-city-of-meridian-agrees-to-stop-arresting-and-jailing-poor-people-for-unpaid-fines-threatened-with-litigation/?ref=mike-morrison-public-safety-and-accountability.ghost.io) About the Author Mike Morrison is the 2026 PBUS National Bail Agent of the Year, President of the Mississippi Bail Agents Association, and a nationally recognized bail educator, speaker, and criminal justice commentator. With more than 35 years of hands-on experience as a licensed Professional Bail Agent and owner of Mike Morrison Bail Bonding Company in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, he brings a practical, real-world perspective to discussions involving American legal history, institutional accountability, constitutional rights, public safety, technology, and public policy. Morrison is recognized as a bail trainer by the Mississippi Judicial College and is a sought-after guest speaker for judicial, prosecutorial, and industry conferences across the country. He has presented before state judges, justice court clerks, prosecutors, attorneys general staff, and bail professionals nationwide, and he travels to state bail association conferences to speak on bail and on social media strategy for the profession. He also leads professional education and ethics programs for bail agents through the Master Class Bail Agent Series and other national training initiatives. At the national level, Morrison works with the Professional Bail Agents of the United States (PBUS) Board of Directors and supports its committees on national initiatives. He also works with the boards of directors of other state bail associations, sharing the strategies behind Mississippi’s successes so they can be put to work across the profession. He has published nearly 200 articles examining the institutions, policies, and decisions that affect working Americans. His writing is grounded in decades spent inside courtrooms, jails, communities, and the criminal justice system, and his commentary has surpassed 1.75 million views across social media in 2026. Independent, plain-spoken, and focused on accountability, Morrison writes and speaks about the intersection of government, liberty, public safety, professional responsibility, and the real-world consequences of public policy in Mississippi and across the nation. © 2026 Mike Morrison. All rights reserved.