Hamilton County criminal justice advocates blast bond practices

Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Key Bonding Co. is seen on Thursday.

When a Hamilton County magistrate judge told Allen Shropshire his bond was $89,000 for a series of alleged nonviolent offenses, he said he was in shock.

Although Shropshire has never been convicted of a felony, he has lost upwards of about $50,000 bonding out of the Hamilton County Jail during his lifetime, he said. "I can't afford to go get a house for me and my kids because of money I've lost to the system," Shropshire, 37, said. "The bond system has taken so much from me."

This month, the nonprofit legal organization Civil Rights Corps and nonprofit Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence sent a memo to Hamilton County officials in an attempt to combat situations such as these; it outlines allegedly unconstitutional bond requirements for those awaiting trial.

​It doesn't appear that the county's bond system is always consistent when considering the accused crime.
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DOCUMENT

• Read the memo

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Shropshire was allegedly stopped for driving left of the center line and arrested on charges including possession of a firearm and various drugs when he was given that $89,000 bond.

On the other hand, Luis Abraham, who is accused of rape and incest, has a $75,000 bond, according to the Hamilton County Criminal Court docket this month. Audrey Johnson, who is accused of attempted first-degree murder, has a $5,000 bond.

Asked whether county officials were discussing the concerns raised about bond practices, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp did not respond.

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