Recently, a domestic abuse case in Dallas yielded a very high bail decision.
The case involves a man who has been accused of having committed domestic violence against his girlfriend last month. According to authorities, in the domestic violence incident, the girlfriend was strangled, kicked in the face and knocked unconscious by the man. A broken jaw was among the girlfriend’s injuries, police say. Authorities further allege that, when talking to an arresting officer, the man threatened to kill the girlfriend.
This is the fourth time the man has faced allegations of assaulting a woman.
In the man’s bail hearing regarding last months’ alleged domestic abuse incident, the prosecution asked for very strong bail conditions and the judge set bail at $1 million. A bail amount this high is more or less unprecedented in family violence cases.
This raises a question: why are high bail amounts a rare thing in domestic violence cases and should steps be taken to make them more common? What is your opinion on this issue?
The high bail amount in the above-mentioned case reflects a trend that has been arising in Dallas as of late: increased focus by authorities on preventing domestic violence matters from resulting in a victim’s death. One effort Dallas police have been taking in pursuit of this goal is an effort to identify domestic violence victims who have a higher likelihood of being subjected to fatal attacks and provide increased help and protection to such victims.
Proactive actions by police are one of the things that can help get proper protection in place for domestic violence victims. Also, domestic abuse victims may have legal options available to help ensure that they get the protection that they require. Victims of domestic violence should consider taking any questions they have regarding legal protection to an experienced domestic abuse attorney.
Source: WFAA, “Dallas domestic violence suspect faces unprecedented bond,” Rebecca Lopez, April 16, 2014