If there had been a bail review for Tarver, he would have been guaranteed representation—at that time, Baltimore City was one of just three Maryland counties that provided counsel at the bail review stage. Back in 2008, defendants in Maryland had to hire a private attorney if they wanted representation at their initial appearance before a bail commissioner. Until Maryland's high court recognized a statutory and then constitutional right to counsel in 2013, people who couldn't afford attorneys were on their own at this initial—and crucial—moment. Then, in July 2014, they were guaranteed the right to an attorney to represent them during the bail-setting process. But for some reason in Baltimore, 40 percent of those arrested are still waiving their right to representation at this starting point in the legal process—a number that gives pause to Douglas Colbert, a University of Maryland law professor.