Topo Padilla, 55, is a bail bondsman and president of the Golden State Bail Agents Association. Bail bonds are a $3 billion industry, and two-thirds of the jail population are pre-trial detainees. The share of people who needed to post bail in order to avoid pre-trial detention increased from 53% in 1990 to 72% in 2009; the average cost of bail also doubled in that same time period. In 2018, the population of Black detainees in jail was 39%, compared to 13% of the larger population. Padilla spoke with journalist Haley Cohen Gilliland about his work.
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