On Nov. 4, a controversial ballot measure that could potentially remove the right to bail bonds for certain, pretrial inmates in New Jersey will be brought to the state's voters.

Backers of the proposed law say it will allow the state to keep the alleged "worst of the worst" behind bars until their cases are over.  Ultimately, if passed, the new law would allow the state to prohibit those who have been accused of the most serious crimes from hiring a bondsman.

Current law grants all pretrial defendants the right to post bail; if voters give the bill a nod, the court could move to detain people who may try to obstruct the justice process, poses a threat to the general community or a specific person, or who the judge feels may not come back to court if they are released.

If passed, the law would go into effect in Jan. 2017; but passage of the measure also solidifies the future of other recent bail reform efforts.

Earlier this year, the NJ legislature passed the Bail Reform Act, which encourages jails to thoroughly evaluate low level offenders to determine if monetary bail or bail bonds are necessary, or if the defendant can be released on a promise to appear.

As it stands, the NJ Constitution requires judges set all defendants' bail amounts.  In order for the new law to go into effect, votes will need to approve Ballot Question 1, and move to allow judges to decide whether bail needs to be assigned at all.

If Ballot Question 1 is not passed, the Bail Reform Act will not take effect.