Eliminate Bail

[ICantSpellDawg]

Just release people on their own recognizance until their court/hearing dates, as long as they are minor offenders. Obviously, it should be on a case by case and crime by crime, but the current system is corrupt, unjust and outdated. People aren't going anywhere if they want to "get away with it", the grid is all consuming. If you don't show, you will be arrested shortly after that - we have finger prints, facial recognition etc. You arn't going anywhere anymore. The system itself metes punishment in advance on those presumed innocent until proven guilty. It harms impoverished or un-educated people above others and let those with money to burn receive greater treatment under the law. There should be no such thing as bail. Either you are released with some degree of supervision/leg sensors/visitation or you are held when there is reasonable cause to protect society, individuals or to deter REAL flight risk (murder, serious theft, fraud, etc). Nobody is a serious risk of flight for shoplifting, because if they do they'll be arrested in short order for something else and a warrant will exist for the contempt of court.

I was listening to WNYC and couldn't figure out why they were talking about reforming bail when it needs to go altogether. Equal justice before the law and innocent until proven guilty. What do you think?

[rory_20_uk]

Tagged house arrest. Cheaper and basically does the same job.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

The idea of bail is to prevent people skipping out, and to compel their dependents if they try.

It is not about recapturing them.

[Major Robert Dump]

It's punishment. Even if you are acquitted, you were still stuck with 10% of the bail price if you hired a bondsman.

I am middle road on this. "Justice and equality" blahblah "Corrupt DAs and police" blah blah.

And I also make a living finding bail jumpers and court no-shows. There are no shortage of these, especially in population pockets of poverty and drug use.

If we eliminate bail, thats just one more reason for a person to not show up to court.

[ICantSpellDawg]

The justice system is designed to ruin people irrespective of conviction. I can see the point of holding family members hostage and punishing them along with their charged relative, but last I checked family members were supposed to be kept separate from punishment because that is unjust as well. Failure to show up to court would be an arrest-able and chargeable offense on its own. It's time that we annihilate the legal system which is an outdated affront to our basic rights. Lets rebuild or reform now with sensible plans that give weight to charged peoples rights.

To be clear. I don't care about most people. I care about myself and those I love or have an affinity for. I plan for their protection and my interests can be used in conjunction with yours to benefit both of our own influence spheres. I appeal to the rights of man and basic legal protections because it is common use language, not necessarily* because I believe that individuals actually have an inherent right to anything but their eventual death.

*I may or may not for purposes of later statement deniability

[Major Robert Dump]

The justice system is designed to ruin people irrespective of conviction. I can see the point of holding family members hostage and punishing them along with their charged relative, but last I checked family members were supposed to be kept separate from punishment because that is unjust as well. Failure to show up to court would be an arrest-able and chargeable offense on its own. It's time that we annihilate the legal system which is an outdated affront to our basic rights. Lets rebuild or reform now with sensible plans that give weight to charged peoples rights.

To be clear. I don't care about most people. I care about myself and those I love or have an affinity for. I plan for their protection and my interests can be used in conjunction with yours to benefit both of our own influence spheres. I appeal to the rights of man and basic legal protections because it is common use language, not necessarily* because I believe that individuals actually have an inherent right to anything but their eventual death.

*I may or may not for purposes of later statement deniability

If arrest and additional charges is reason enough for people to show up to court, it is not working.

I have seen little old ladies lose their home because their POS grandchild had them post bail and she was on the hook for it. That was her decision, just like it was the decision of her crackhead grandson to skip town.

Without some sort of punitive punishment, there would be more now shows. Arrest is a deterrent for very few things for some people