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Stringer Calls For Ban On Commercial Bail Bonds

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer is calling for a ban on the use of commercial bail bonds.

As WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported, Stringer said those using such bail bonds are usually the poorest people in the city.

READ STRINGER'S REPORT

"We estimate that commercial bail bondsmen are extracting between $16 million and $27 million in non-refundable fees from NYC defendants and their families every year," Stringer said. "That's money going directly into the pockets of for-profit middlemen, often from the wallets of families least able to afford it."

Stringer said further that the bail bondsmen are getting rich, and as he put it, it is time for judges to look at alternative ways to guarantee someone to trial.

He added that such avenues already exist.

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