2026 PBUS National Bail Agent of the Year. President, Mississippi Bail Agents Association. National bail educator, speaker, and 35-year Professional Bail Agent focused on public safety, court integrity, and criminal justice accountability.
This case hits far too close to home for bail agents across the United States who have followed the death of Lauren Johansen and the questions surrounding what happened before it. Today, Bricen Rivers pleaded guilty to killing Lauren and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of
Bail
"Follow the Money, the Authority, and the Accountability — and See Which System Actually Works" The difference between government pretrial services and professional surety bail becomes much easier to understand when we stop arguing slogans and start looking at how the two systems actually operate. Both are supposed to
Arrest
America cannot fix its criminal justice system by defending failed policies, tolerating ineffective leadership, or ignoring constitutional rights. For more than a decade, criminal justice reform has been sold as a way to make the system fairer, more efficient, and safer. Bail reform, diversion programs, alternatives to incarceration, reduced enforcement,
Arrest
When Bail Reform Ignores Criminal History, Victims, Court Appearance and the Real Cost of Replacing Accountability With Government Supervision The Vera Institute of Justice is once again promoting the idea that California’s courts have not gone far enough in reducing bail and pretrial detention. Vera senior researcher Madeline Bailey
abuse
History has already tested what happens when government takes control of resources and production. The results are on the record. Turn on the television, scroll through social media, or listen to candidates running for office today and you will hear the same promises repeated over and over again: free healthcare,
Mike Morrison Bail Bonding
Who They Are, Who Funds Them, and What Happens When Their Promises Meet the Results Introduction The "Anti-Surety Movement" is a national network of advocacy organizations, litigation groups, private foundations, government agencies, and nonprofit bail funds that has spent decades, and an enormous amount of money, building
Bail
Unity, legislative muscle, and judicial insight define North Carolina's premier bail event The North Carolina Bail Agents Association (NCBAA) just wrapped up a highly successful 2026 Annual Conference at the Courtyard by Marriott Carolina Beach Oceanfront. This year's event was a masterclass in industry unity, active
Bail
A decade after Jackson eliminated secured surety bail for municipal misdemeanors, the question is no longer what reformers expected to happen. It is what the evidence shows actually happened. In 2016, the City of Jackson settled Bell v. City of Jackson, a federal lawsuit brought by the MacArthur Justice Center
Mike Morrison Bail Bonding
While traveling across Mississippi and meeting with bail agents, we continue to ask: How can the MBAA be more helpful to you? Quality bail agent education is one of the answers we hear most often. The response to our new education program has been tremendous, and bail agents appreciate not
A Harvard randomized trial found that Arnold Ventures’ Public Safety Assessment failed to produce meaningful improvements in court appearance, new criminal activity, violent crime, pretrial detention, or racial fairness—raising serious questions about replacing professional surety bail with taxpayer-funded prediction systems. This should be a wake-up call for
Arrest
How courts are punishing defendants before their court date is even set. In Mississippi, punishment is supposed to come after guilt. A person is arrested, charged with an offense, given an opportunity to obtain pretrial release, and eventually appears in court where the State must prove its case. Only after
Mike Morrison Bail Bonding
Bail bonds protect the presumption of innocence and allow defendants to continue working, supporting their families, and preparing their defense while their case is pending. Without this system, defendants who have not been convicted of anything could remain in jail simply because they cannot afford to pay the full amount