DALLAS – There is a large number of inmates in Dallas County jail who are too poor to post bail. The money bail system is a controversial issue. Several groups are pushing to reform the way bail is handled in Dallas County and across the country.
Around Dallas County Jail, there are groups showing up, on a mission, each Friday this month. "Our long-term goal is to see money bail ended in Dallas and throughout North Texas," said Greg Guggenmos with Community Bail Fund of North Texas.
For three weeks, now, organizers with the Community bail Fund of North Texas, Faith in Texas, and other agencies have been working to post bail for some inmates.
"In these 2 weeks that we've been here bailing people out, folks are homeless, people are looking for jobs, and they need mental health services," Brittany White with Faith in Texas said.
The groups say they are fighting for bail system reform. They are posting thousands of dollars in bail for inmates who cannot afford or up with the cash. That was until their trip to post bail for another 16 inmates on Friday.
"Today, around 11, when we attempted to submit our payment to the clerk, our payment was refused," White said.
White says a jail clerk would not accept the group’s cashier’s check, this time. She says they initially were not told why, only given the run-around until hours later. White says the group was told a supervisor wasn't available, so payment was refused.
Members of the group had to rush the cashier’s check to the bank and return to the jail with cash.
Dallas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Raul Reyna said, "Normally, it's not the norm. But in this situation, if a supervisor had been here, they could have probably resolved it."
Reyna tried stepping in to help expedite the bail process.
The organizers from the groups say what they endured is just another example of why they are fighting for reforms. "Again, it's the system that is corrupt, and the system that is slowing it down. So even when we have money to pay for people to get out of the cage, they're still slowing the process down," Guggenmos said.
The group reported, after a 12-hour wait, they were still waiting for the jail to release some of the individuals whose bail they posted.