accountability
Mississippi Changed Criminal Justice Policy Without the Data. Don't Repeat That Mistake. The Vera Institute of Justice is again telling the public that “tough-on-crime” policies have failed and that the country needs a different approach to public safety. Vera is a national criminal-justice research and
accountability
When there is reason to believe that a Mississippi court is not following a state statute, the Mississippi Public Records Act can be used to obtain the records necessary to examine that practice. Those records may include dockets, orders, judgments, notices, forfeiture records, administrative directives, correspondence, reports, policies, payment records,
Mike Morrison Bail Bonding
Why professional associations struggle for participation—and who pays the price when everyone waits for someone else to lead. One of the greatest challenges facing professional associations is not always the opposition they face from outside. Sometimes it is the lack of participation from the very people whose livelihoods they
accountability
Beyond the headlines: Why Tennessee's Amendment 1 carries a hidden price tag for families, jails, and taxpayers. The public discussion has focused heavily on a handful of serious crimes. The actual constitutional language goes much further. Amendment 1 would allow bail to be denied, when “the proof is
Kratom
How potent extracts and lax oversight got miles ahead of the science on kratom. The deeper I looked into kratom, the more I realized there is another side to this story that deserves attention. These products are being sold across America—in gas stations, convenience stores, and smoke shops—but
accountability
The Lee Gilley case should concern anyone who believes that a criminal justice system must have consequences when a defendant deliberately violates the conditions of release. Gilley is charged with capital murder in the death of his pregnant wife, Christa Bauer Gilley. He had been released from custody with a
Bail Enforcement
Beyond the Paper: Why Bail Enforcement is the Essential Anchor of Pretrial Accountability How private surety bonds, statutory authority under Mississippi law, and dedicated recovery agents keep the criminal justice system functioning. Most people understand what happens when a bail bond gets someone out of jail. Very few understand what
Bail Bonds
Mississippi law is clear that professional surety bail is a lawful method of securing a defendant’s release. Article 3, Section 29 of the Mississippi Constitution says that persons entitled to bail before conviction shall be “bailable by sufficient sureties.” Rule 8.1 of the Mississippi Rules of Criminal Procedure
accountability
Constitutional amendments deserve more scrutiny than ordinary legislation because they do not simply change a statute. They change the governing document itself. Tennessee voters will face that decision on November 3, 2026, when Amendment 1 asks them to substantially expand the circumstances in which a person accused of a crime
Public Safety
As measles cases reach a three-decade high, the real question isn't just how the virus crossed the border—it's whether the federal government has the data to tell us the truth. After two weeks of reading medical journals, CDC reports, outbreak investigations, government documents and
Bail
A Framework for Evidence-Based Professional Governance Results-Based Ideology begins with a principle that is simple to state but difficult to practice honestly: activity is not the same thing as accomplishment. The professional surety bail industry invests substantial time, money, personnel, and organizational energy into education, legislative advocacy, public
constitutional rights
From Tennessee to Nationwide, the Push to Expand Pretrial Preventive Detention Demands Attention Bail professionals across America should be paying close attention to the debate now taking place in Tennessee, not because every state is considering an identical proposal, but because pretrial release and detention laws are shifting nationwide. According