Bail in the Midwest
Bail in the Midwest explores the integral role of bail in the criminal justice system. With its roots dating back hundreds of years, bail allows individuals charged with a crime to be free pending trial, while simultaneously ensuring public safety. However, efforts to reform the bail system have escalated across the country in recent years, with calls from advocates to reduce or even eliminate the incarceration of individuals charged with a crime. With violent crime on the rise, it has become apparent that the new laws put into place are not always effective. In each episode, we discuss the many challenges involving criminal justice reform, as lawmakers seek viable solutions.
Episodes
30 episodes
Kirk Shaw, New Jersey Bail Agent
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Kirk Shaw, a New Jersey bail bondsman and the author of the book, “Make America Safe: A Bail Bondsman's Story.” Mr. Shaw offers a very personal insider’s look at the bail profession and addresses the ch...
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Episode 30
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58:07
Scott Jones, Co-Founder, One Brother One Sister
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Scott Jones, co-founder of One Brother One Sister. The non-profit program offers courses on how to deal with addiction and mental health issues within communities, workplaces and home life. Specifically, One ...
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Episode 29
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59:50
Jennifer Coffindaffer, Retired FBI Special Agent
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Jennifer Coffindaffer, Retired FBI Special Agent and host of the popular true crime podcast, "Break the Case with Jen Coffindaffer FBI." As true crime continues to captivate the public, it significantly influ...
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Episode 28
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1:03:57
Bail in the Midwest Podcast (Episode 27) – Shelly Alexander, President, Tennessee Association of Professional Bail Agents
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Shelly Alexander, President of the Tennessee Association of Professional Bail Agents. The discuss the challenges facing the bail industry in her state, which includes a potentially catastrophic constitu...
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Episode 27
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54:19
Kim Ogg, District Attorney, Harris County, Texas
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Kim Ogg, the district attorney for Harris County, Texas. They discuss the tremendous negative impact of bail reform efforts in the nation’s third-largest county. We are offered a rare, insider’s l...
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Episode 26
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46:46
Doug Bedford, Former Undersheriff, Johnson County, Kansas
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Doug Bedford, who previously served as undersheriff of Johnson County, Kansas and is currently running for sheriff in the same county. They discuss the important role the sheriff’s office plays in maint...
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Episode 25
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57:14
Jeff Reisig, District Attorney, Yolo County, California
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Jeff Reisig, the district attorney for Yolo County, California. They discuss a 2022 study his office conducted that revealed that Yolo County’s zero bail policy had resulted in an increase of 163 percen...
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Episode 24
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57:10
James Quinn, Former Assistant District Attorney, Queens, New York
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, James Quinn, who served as an assistant district attorney for Queens, New York for 42 years. They discuss the alarming rise in crime due to bail reform efforts, especially in New York, which in 2019 gre...
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Episode 23
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58:58
Joe Gamaldi, National Vice President, Fraternal Order of Police
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Joe Gamaldi, the National Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police, who also serves as an active duty officer in the Houston Police Department. They discuss ongoing attacks on the nation’s crimin...
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Episode 22
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55:25
Judge David R. Platt, Retired - Kansas Eighth Judicial District Court
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, the Honorable David R. Platt, who served as a District Court judge for 22 years in Kansas’ Eighth judicial district. They explore the role of the judicial branch of our nation’s governmental system – th...
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Episode 21
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51:35
Vanessa Riebli, Former Assistant District Attorney, Johnson County, Kansas
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Vanessa Riebli, who served as an assistant district attorney for Johnson County, Kansas for 21 years and is currently a partner in the law firm of Bath & Edmonds, which specializes in criminal defense.&nb...
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Episode 20
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1:02:55
Ken W. Good, Attorney Specializing in Bail Law
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Ken W. Good, bail attorney and a board member of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas. They discuss the four phases of the "spiral of death" facing our nation's largest cities. Politicians are being...
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Episode 19
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58:31
Jared Fishman, Author of “Fire on the Levee”
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Jared Fishman, former federal prosecutor and founder and Executive Director of Justice Innovation Lab. Jared is the author of the newly published book, FIRE ON THE LEVEE: The Murder of Henry Glover and ...
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Episode 18
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1:00:29
SPECIAL EDITION! Illinois Supreme Court Decision That Ends Cash Bail in State
Join host Shane Rolf for this special edition as he addresses the recent bombshell decision by the Illinois Supreme Court, ruling in favor of a law that ends cash bail in the state. In so doing, he questions why the court would abandoned ...
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Episode 17
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17:03
Bail in the Movies - Quentin Tarantino’s "Jackie Brown"
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Dennis Berndt, owner of B&K Bail Bonds in Wichita, Kansas, as they continue their discussion of the portrayal of bail agents and the profession of bail bonds in motion pictures. How accurate is thei...
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Episode 16
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1:09:06
Bail Reform: What Are Its True Economic Costs?
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Eric Granof, Vice President of Corporate Communications for AIA Surety. They explore the subject of the true economic cost of bail reform, a movement that has swept the country in recent years. Do...
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Episode 15
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1:06:26
Bail in the Movies - Myth vs. Reality
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Dennis Berndt, owner of B&K Bail Bonds in Wichita, Kansas, as they discuss the portrayal of bail agents and the profession of bail bonds in motion pictures. How much is accurate and how much is just...
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Episode 14
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50:29
Qualities Women Bring to the Bail Industry
Join host Shane Rolf and his guests, Laura Frisbie and Krysta Lane, Kansas bail agents with Owens Bonding Inc. Frisbie is based in Wichita and serves on the board of directors for the Kansas Bail Agents Association, while Lane operates out of A...
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47:26
The Second Chance Expungement Offers Individuals Also Benefits Society
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Joy Springfield, Director of Pro Bono at Kansas Legal Services. They discuss what happens to defendants who have been convicted of a crime after their sentences has been served. For those who have...
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50:07
Charles White, Tennessee Bail Industry Pioneer
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Charles White, former President of the Tennessee Association of Professional Bail Agents as they discuss a variety of pertinent topics regarding bail. Mr. White was an early advocate for the establishme...
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Episode 11
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46:18
The Importance of Lobbyists in the American Political System
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Kevin Barone, founding partner of The Capital Lobby Group, as they discuss the much-misunderstood and critically important role of lobbyists in the American political system. Often derided by critics fo...
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Episode 10
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59:47
Sheriff Grady Judd - Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Sheriff Grady Judd of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, to discuss what is true and what is not regarding the current bail reform movement. Evidence shows that such measures have directly led to an incr...
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57:54
Nina Salarno, President of Crime Victims United
Join host Shane Rolf and his guest, Nina Salarno, the President of Crime Victims United, to discuss the role bail plays in ensuring justice to the victims of crime. Individuals charged with crimes have typically been the focus of the crim...
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Episode 8
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1:06:29