Bail is supposed to protect the public while giving defendants a fair shot in court. What happened in Cleveland shows how badly that idea has been twisted.
Earlier this month, a Cuyahoga County judge lowered bond for repeat violent offender Donnie Allen to $5,000. A national nonprofit, The Bail Project, posted the $500 needed to free him on December 9.
Five days later, Allen was arrested again. This time, police say he shot and killed Benjamin McComas, a 27-year-old, at a Cleveland RTA station.
That outcome wasn’t random. It was predictable.
TRAGIC: Meet Cuyahoga County ACTIVIST Judge Joy Kennedy… who just lowered bond for repeat violent offender Donnie Allen to $5K earlier this month.
A nonprofit (The Bail Project) paid the $500 to free him on Dec 9.
Just 5 days later, Allen allegedly shot and KlLLED innocent… pic.twitter.com/zWPHhMx3JO
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) December 23, 2025
Bail is about accountability, not charity
Bail exists for one reason. It gives someone a reason to show up for court and behave while they’re out.
Traditionally, bail comes from someone who knows the defendant. A parent. A spouse. A close friend. Someone who cares and has something to lose.
That matters.
If you know your mom put up her savings, you think twice before running or reoffending. If a bondsman posted bail, they’ll come find you if you disappear.
But when bail is posted by an outside group using donated money, none of that pressure exists.
The nonprofit doesn’t know the defendant. The donors don’t know the defendant.
And if the defendant commits another crime, nobody writing the check feels it.
The only people who do are the victims.
A system with no skin in the game
In this case, Judge Joy Kennedy reduced bail for a man with a violent record. Then a nonprofit stepped in and paid the bill.
If Allen skipped court or reoffended, the nonprofit didn’t face jail time. The donors didn’t face risk. And the judge didn’t lose anything either.
But a young man lost his life.
That’s the core problem with third-party bail. It removes personal responsibility from every step of the process.
It turns bail into a political statement instead of a public safety tool.
What supporters say, and what they miss
Supporters of bail funds say they’re helping poor defendants who can’t afford to get out of jail. They argue cash bail punishes poverty, not crime.
That argument matters. Nobody wants people locked up just because they’re broke.
But this case wasn’t about a first-time offender or a traffic charge. It involved a repeat violent offender and a judge-approved bond reduction.
The answer to unfair bail isn’t letting strangers gamble with public safety. It’s judges using common sense and lawmakers fixing bad policy, not outsourcing risk to nonprofits with nothing on the line.
Why Nevada should pay attention
Nevada has already seen what happens when the justice system gets too focused on release and not focused enough on risk.
In Clark County, judges consider criminal history, flight risk, and public safety when setting bail.
That balance matters in a state with major tourist corridors, crowded transit systems, and neighborhoods that already deal with repeat offenders.
Governor Joe Lombardo, a former sheriff, has long argued that public safety has to come first. That includes holding repeat violent offenders in custody when necessary.
Allowing outside groups to post bail for people they don’t know would weaken that balance. It would shift risk away from defendants and onto the public.
And once that door opens, it’s hard to close.
A simple fix
This isn’t complicated.
If someone wants to post bail, they should have a real connection to the defendant and real consequences if things go wrong. Family. Friends. Bondsmen. People with skin in the game.
Nonprofits using donated money don’t meet that test.
Bail should be about responsibility, not ideology. When it stops being that, innocent people pay the price.
And this time, the price was a life.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
