Bail Bond Association of New Mexico

09/10/2024

Click on the link and listen in to my interview with KKOB Radio!

Gerald Madrid is the last man standing when it comes to full-time Bail-Bondsmen in Albuquerque. What changes could be made to help keep criminals from skipping out on court while also allowing police to focus on keeping the 505 safe?

08/15/2024

Gerald Madrid says come to 5th and Fruit NW, next to Gerald Madrid Bail Bonds and support our local food vendors!

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01/22/2020

A state agency says Kentucky’s pretrial release system is “badly broken.

02/15/2018

BREAKING: U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit Issues Ruling – Bail Schedules Constitutional, No Right to an “Affordable Bail”

02/13/2018

One Year In…What We Do (or Don’t) Know about New Jersey Bail Reform

One Year In…What We Do (or Don’t) Know about New Jersey Bail Reform by Jeff Clayton, Executive Director, American Bail Coalition The New Jersey Courts issued a report yesterday touting the success of the implementation of bail reform in New Jersey, a cooper.....

02/13/2018

NEW EVIDENCE: SERIOUS REPEAT OFFENDERS RELEASED FROM JAIL AT ALARMING RATE

Just last month, police in Albuquerque cracked down on auto theft and arrested 23 accused felons. Altogether, the arrested offenders have nearly 200 cases against them with over 300 charges. Through their criminal careers they have around 150 arrests and nearly 50 felony convictions. The worst part? 70 percent of these arrested offenders have ALREADY been released from jail.

NEW EVIDENCE: SERIOUS REPEAT OFFENDERS RELEASED FROM JAIL AT ALARMING RATE

Just last month, police in Albuquerque cracked down on auto theft and arrested 23 accused felons. Altogether, the arrested offenders have nearly 200 cases against them with over 300 charges. Through their criminal careers they have around 150 arrests and nearly 50 felony convictions. The worst part? 70 percent of these arrested offenders have ALREADY been released from jail.

For example, repeat offender Jeff Brasher was arrested for crashing a stolen car into a police station. It was his fourth felony offense, and yet, he was released the very next day. Just a few days later, he was back in jail on a felony bench warrant and then simply released again. In the past, Brasher has been convicted of auto theft, burglary, larceny, and conspiracy. And, in the past, he’s been charged with car theft, possession of drugs, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. This is not someone who should be let out of jail and roaming our streets while he waits for his court hearings. It's unacceptable, and it's indicative of a criminal justice system that needs repair.

With less than 48 hours left in the 2018 Legislative Session, now is the critical time for lawmakers to follow through on their promises to pass legislation that will fight crime in New Mexico.

For years, I have urged lawmakers to take our crime problem seriously. As I said in my State of the State address, New Mexico should no longer be an island of leniency in a sea of tough-on-crime states.

We have less than 48 hours for lawmakers to get to work and finally help solve our crime problem.

Today, at long last, the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee is hearing important bills that will help fight crime in New Mexico. Please call the members and urge them to vote to keep New Mexicans safe in their communities.

Eliseo Alcon: (505) 285-6387
Patricia Roybal Caballero: (505) 710-5996
Deborah Armstrong: 986-4840
Bob Wooley: 986-4454
Monica Youngblood: 986-4242

02/11/2018

This defendant beat his ex-girlfriend while holding their 7-month-old baby Thursday evening by kicking her in the chest, causing her to fall back and hit her head on a table, and also made threats he was going to killing her. He eventually left but came back one day later with a gun. The ex-girlfriend was able to call for help.

Gonzalez-Ramos was arrested on an outstanding warrant and charged with child abuse as well as possession of a controlled substance for drug paraphernalia and traces of drugs found in his vehicle. But no big surprise... a Judge released him today on his own recognizance, with just a promise to come back to court. They must think he poses no risk to the community by his current actions.

02/10/2018

Let's take a quick glance at how the Arnold Foundation’s Public Safety Assessment’s tool deals with out-of-state persons arrested on felony drug charges while passing through New Mexico. Here we have a father and son arrested by the New Mexico State Police and charged with having 39 pounds of ma*****na in their vehicle. Both appeared before a Judge the next day, and based on the Arnold Tool, they were released ROR, in spite of having no ties to New Mexico.

What assurances are in place to see that these two guys return to New Mexico from St. Louis, Missouri to answer for these charges? NONE! Secondly, after doing some quick research, w**d in New Mexico on the street is selling for $250 to $350 per ounce...16 ounces per pound could "earn " someone $4000 to $5600 per pound times the 39 pounds they were charged for = $156,000 and as much as $218,400. All that and free to go!

02/08/2018

Contrary to what the Arnold Foundation’s PSA tool supporters say, let's take a look at how it really works in New Mexico. This defendant was arrested in Albuquerque on January 29, 2018 for criminal trespassing, arrested February 1st, 2018 for felony drug possession, and again on February 7th, 2018 for a stolen vehicle. Each time she was released on her own recognizance by a Judge and told to report to pretrial services. What happened to their claim of assessing the safety of the public? As it appears, if a person gets arrested THREE times in a week, and keeps getting rewarded with a free and unsecured release, there will be more bad behavior to come.

02/06/2018

Investigation into New Mexico pretrial monitoring reveals 1 in 5 ankle monitors go missing

Albuquerque, NM – An investigative report by KOB 4 Investigates reveals the failing system of New Mexico’s pretrial monitoring system – where one in five monitors go missing – allowing pretrial defendants to skip court. [...]

02/06/2018

Verdict Out On Bail Bond Industry: Judges Agree that Commercial Bail is Most Effective Form of Pretrial Release

As part of our ongoing efforts to promote understanding of the bail industry throughout the country, our team attended the American Judges Association Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana earlier this week.

01/31/2018

Not a day goes by the media does not report on yet another repeat offender back out in the community, free release to continue wreaking havoc on the community. Today in the Albuquerque Journal is this prime example of that, as they shed some light on the massive auto theft problem in Albuquerque, NM. The problem is so bad now that New Mexico is often referred to as the highest auto theft rate in the country and most recently the most dangerous state in the country.

"The most alarming is the criminal record of some of the individuals involved,” said Deputy Chief Harold Medina of the Albuquerque Police Department. He mentioned Richard "Ricky" Newman who has EIGHT FELONY ARRESTS and NINETEEN FELONY CHARGES and Schaeffer Schongalla with SEVEN FEONY ARRESTS and FOURTEEN FELONY CHARGES.

So, how or why does this keep happening in Albuquerque? Let's take a quick look at Newman and Schongalla and see what their recent criminal activity looks like...
In spite of Newman's extensive history, he was arrested on November 8, 2017 for a stolen vehicle. He went before a Metropolitan Court Judge a few days later and because of our new court rules and the Arnold Foundation Risk assessment tool, he was released on his own recognizance and told to report to pretrial services. That same day he was back out of jail and never reported to pretrial. Now, he is back in jail after being arrested on January 26, 2018 for yet another stolen vehicle. Schaeffer Schongalla, the next one mentioned in today's article also comes with very extensive criminal history. He was arrested January 5, 2018 on a stolen vehicle charge and released the very next day on his own recognizance and told to report to pretrial services. He, like Ricky Newman, ignored the pretrial services people and was back at it. In just over two weeks, he was arrested again, this time for aggravated eluding.

Thankfully, both defendants are back in custody held without bond for now. Again, the cause of the "revolving door" at jails is easy to see. As long as the Judges continue using the Arnold Foundation tool as some guarantee of behavior or appearance, while everyone is released free and unsecured, we will continue to be #1 in many bad things.

The solution is simple - stop giving everything away, and require that defendants to have a stake in the process, while holding them accountable for their actions, and this will change overnight.