The New York herald., 1922-01-17
BAIL REFORM BILL
HURRIED THIS WEEK
Bar Association Joins With
Courts in Getting New
Measure Ready.
SURETY MEN TO CONFER
District Attorney Meets Six
Judges With Proposal for
Bond Restrictions.

Thet Bar Association. working hand
in hand with the courts, plans to achieve
this week definite reform in the law and
practice under which persons accused Of
crime are released on bail.
Following a meeting Of the law re-
form committe Of the association at its
building tomorrow night. at which
amendments to the present law will be
drafted. the committee expects to meet
with District Attorney Banton and. II
possible. with Chief Magistrate William
McAdoo, Chief Justice Frederic Kerno-
chan of Special Sessions. and repre-
sentative of General Sessions. 1t is
likely also that a meeting of the law re-
form committee with representatives of
the bonding companies will be arranged.
Il am not at liberty 20 state i'm adj
vance the program of discussion Of the
bail bond reform that will be taken up
Tomorrow night said Edward J. Nc
CURE. chairman of the committee. last
night. Very probably an important
step will be taken toward correcting the
existing evils.
THE essentials Of new law, or
rather amendments to the law, will be
prepared and will be handed to Senator
Cotillo to introduce. This. with the
stricter attitude of the courts, as illus
trated by such able Judges as Chief
Kernochan, should be sufficient to solve
the problem and relieve the public mind.
II do not consider that a legislative
investigation is necessary"
Invites Surety Conference.
Vincent Cullen OF the Fidelity and
Deposit Company of Maryland, with Of
fices at 12U Broadway, spoke for the
surety field, saying:
Nobody is moro anxious than men
in our business TO get the bail bond stu
alton cleaned up. Some of the compan-
les would get rid of that department
of their business if it were possible
to do SO. Since it isn't. the thing to do
is to work with the judges. the prosecu-
tor and the bar association toward
reforming the system.
To-day I asked the various COM
panies to suggest as soon as possible a
convenient date for getting together
on this proposition. My idea is that
after we surety company people talk
It over from our point of view we will
come to some conclusion upon which
all can be agreed"
MIR. Cullen thought the surety men
would be able to get together at the end
of this week or in the first of next week,
and that a conference with the District
Attorney and the judges could follow
Banton Meets Judges.
Mr.. Banton Is anxious for such a con-
ference and merely awaits the pleasure
Of the surety folk and the law reform
of the bar association. He
met yesterday with the six judges of
General Sessions to discuss the expe-
diting Of justice and the clearing Of the
clogged calendars. The seven will meet
again on Monday afternoon. The Dis
trict Attorney is proposing that the
cases of criminals with records should
be put on the preferred calendar
Another important suggestion to be
laid before the judges by the District
Attorney is that criminals with bad
records shall not be readmitted to bail
by police lieutenants. If this rule were
to be adopted detectives would have an
opportunity to place such prisoners in
the lineup at headquarters and examine
them thoroughly before they are taken
before a magistrate.
The aggrieved citizens of Sands Point,