Bail Conference: PBUS Sneak Peek

• February 13, 2013
• by Kimberly Faber
• Associations

In two short weeks, Sunday, February 24th will kick off the 2013 PBUS Winter Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bail conference will run through the 27th, and with a new location and a focus on a pretrial release campaign there are a few changes being incorporated for this year’s event. For more information on what attending agents can expect, AboutBail.com spoke with Corrine Markey, CEO and Executive Director of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States.

A new venue for the PBUS Winter Conference

With previous conferences held at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, Markey shared that PBUS was looking for a change of scenery and sought out a new venue, settling on the Mirage Hotel and Casino. “It’s a wonderful space to spend time in,” she said. “The rooms are beautiful, the restaurants are world-class, they have a superb exercise facility and spa, and the layout and size of the rooms very well accommodate our needs for this conference.” Markey is excited about the venue change, and hopes that attending agents will be pleased with the new location.

A focus on pretrial release and how to promote commercial bail in your community

With a new location also comes a new focus for the conference. Markey says that PBUS has gone out of its way to cover pretrial release and commercial bail, noting that the popularity of pretrial release is sweeping the nation and becoming an issue that every bail agent will face. “We want to arm our members with information and strategies to push back against attacks on commercial bail within their communities,” she said. The conference will begin with a session titled, “Pretrial Release Campaign,” during which Dennis Bartlett of the American Bail Coalition and Melanie Ledgerwood, the Director of Government Relations for Accredited, will present information on pretrial release and what protagonists are saying. They will also be covering the history and statistics of personal recognizance bonds. This theme will be echoed throughout the conference, and a final session on pretrial release will conclude the conference.

“On the last day of the conference, we will have a speaker by the name of Dr. Stanford Glenn, PhD., a professor at the University of Utah,” Markey said. “He will host an interactive session on the whats and hows to presenting commercial bail in your community. We will also divide the room into small groups that are going to brainstorm 2-3 elevator pitches for presenting bail to their communities.” Attending agents will walk away from this bail conference with a final list of ideas paired with a thumb drive of information on how to fight pre-trial release. As examples, Markey shares that the thumb drive will include short documents with fast facts, like one included report: “7 Did-You-Know Questions About Commercial Bail.” The thumb drives will be given to attendees in their registration packets.

Other speakers and topics

Markey shared that in addition to pretrial release, speakers will cover a variety of topics. “We have breakout sessions, of course, and as always, we have sessions on electronic skip tracing techniques, courtroom etiquette training, internet marketing, working with the U.S. Marshall Service, and drug training with the DEA,” she said. The standard 6 CBA classes will also be offered, and there will be a testing center for anyone who has taken the courses online.

Other changes and events

Markey makes note of other changes at this year’s conference. “We have a large number of new members,” she said, “so we have brought back the first-time attendees reception.” As always, we will have our ever popular "For Women Only" luncheon that is open to all women who are at the conference.  This year Ms. Theresa Fette, CEO of the Provident Trust Group will be the luncheon speaker.  The Gala reception and dinner will be held Tuesday evening and the President’s lunch will close the conference on Wednesday.  

Goals for the conference

“We hope to accomplish two things with the winter conference,” Markey shared. “We want to give attendees the education they need and provide them with classes that will help them become the best professionals possible.” With professionalism and education as a major goal, she shares that the second goal of the conference is easy. “We want to give them useful sessions that will help them run their agencies, but we also want to show them a good time.”

Markey is excited about the upcoming conference and hopes it will be a major success. “We have more exhibitors than we’ve ever had before,” she said. “It’s going to be a spectacular event!”

For more information on this event, visit http://www.pbus.com/displayconvention.cfm