RFT: Bondsmen in the STL News

The Riverfront Times printed an article concerning the bail industry. The article reviews the history of Virgil Lee Jackson and his murder plot against local competitor Jerry Cox. The article also examines the legislative agenda of the Missouri Professional Bail Bond Association (MPBBA) and the representatives and senators who accepted money from them to change the bail laws to allow for the licensing of felons. MPBBA defended changing the law to accommodate Lee Jackson's criminal past, even though Jackson had been convicted of 8 felonies and spent 20 years in prison. According to the article, Jack Allison characterized Lee Jackson as a model employee. The article quoted Allison saying, "The whole time that Lee worked for me he was professional. He did everything the way you're supposed to do it." Jackson worked for Allison at the time he was arrested for the murder plot. Allison is on MPBBA's legislative committee and told the reporter that the association supports the licensing of felons and had no plans to remove the Lee Clause.