Attorney challenges arbitrary bail amounts

A Murfreesboro attorney is on a crusade to change the way bail is set in Tennessee.
Jerry Gonzalez told The Tennessean that many judicial commissioners around the state pull bail amounts “out of thin air,’’ relying on a cheat sheet or precedent rather than taking individual circumstances into account.
State law requires judicial commissioners to consider things like a person’s ties to the community and reputation to determine an appropriate bail.
Gonzalez believes that people who are likely to show up for trial and are not a danger to the community should be released with no bail at all.
He already has won suits in Wilson and Rutherford counties. Challenges are pending in Davidson, Henry, Macon, Trousdale, Shelby and Bedford counties.