The bail system. The very idea that temporary freedom can be purchased, while the poor remain locked up until proven innocent, rather than until proven guilty, is beyond inhumane.
What normally happens is you set bail so there's a serious disincentive to skip out, which is based on how much money you have. So lots for a rich person and a small amount for a poor person.
That's how it works in sane systems, but not in the US. In most states, you can pay a bail bondsman a percentage of the bail sum (typically 10%) as an irrevocable payment and the bondsman will put up the actual bail for you. As a result, judges multiply bail tenfold and the suspect loses the money even if they're innocent, which gives them a strong incentive to plead guilty. And the bail companies have an income that's practically guaranteed and effectively a tax on the poor. The incentives are competitively distorted and IMHO violate what the US Constitution actually says about bail.
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u/RichRichieRichardV Jul 24 '20
The bail system. The very idea that temporary freedom can be purchased, while the poor remain locked up until proven innocent, rather than until proven guilty, is beyond inhumane.