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This is terrible. Pretrial detention in rough California county jails is often used as a bargaining chip by prosecutors to get quick convictions in exchange fo

This is terrible. Pretrial detention in rough California county jails is often used as a bargaining chip by prosecutors to get quick convictions in exchange for probationary sentences. "Don't like the constant threat of being raped or assaulted every day? Sign the deal, take a felony conviction, and you'll get out on probation tonight". This won't result in more poor people being released. It will simply result in a higher percentage of middle and upper class people being extorted into guilty pleas that they would not otherwise take, under the threat of losing their careers and families as a result of many months, and in a large number of cases, years, of pretrial detention.

stanleydrew 8y ago
> This won't result in more poor people being released. It will simply result in a higher percentage of middle and upper class people being extorted into guilty pleas that they would not otherwise take, under the threat of losing their careers and families as a result of many months, and in a large number of cases, years, of pretrial detention. Uhh, sounds like they will be treated the same as a poor person is currently treated then. I don't see what's wrong with everyone being treated equally regardless of ability to pay.
- downandout 8y ago
  Uhh, sounds like they will be treated the same as a poor person is currently treated then. I agree that judges should have the discretion to release poor people that cannot make bail. That part of the system needed to be changed. I don't agree that they should have limitless discretion to arbitrarily hold anyone without bail. That is a gaping and dangerous hole to open up.
  - 0xB31B1B 8y ago
    That is already the case right now, anyone can be held without bail
    - downandout 8y ago
      They have the discretion, but it’s relatively rare. I guess I should have said that the system should be adjusted such that judges should be encouraged to do this far more often than they actually do, without the giving them additional power to arbitrarily hold people.
geggam 8y ago
Perhaps the silver lining would be the more people exposed to the screwed up legal system the sooner it really gets fixed ?
pm24601 8y ago
> This won't result in more poor people being released. It will simply result in a higher percentage of middle and upper class people being extorted into guilty pleas that they would not otherwise take, under the threat of losing their careers and families as a result of many months Instead of just poor people?
- downandout 8y ago
  Again, I do believe that the system should be adjusted to encourage judges to give free pretrial release to poor people that they think will show up for court. I just think that judges shouldn’t be given broad new authority to arbitrarily incarcerate people that can post money bail along with that adjustment.

stanleydrew 8y ago

> This won't result in more poor people being released. It will simply result in a higher percentage of middle and upper class people being extorted into guilty pleas that they would not otherwise take, under the threat of losing their careers and families as a result of many months, and in a large number of cases, years, of pretrial detention. Uhh, sounds like they will be treated the same as a poor person is currently treated then. I don't see what's wrong with everyone being treated equally regardless of ability to pay.

downandout 8y ago
Uhh, sounds like they will be treated the same as a poor person is currently treated then. I agree that judges should have the discretion to release poor people that cannot make bail. That part of the system needed to be changed. I don't agree that they should have limitless discretion to arbitrarily hold anyone without bail. That is a gaping and dangerous hole to open up.
- 0xB31B1B 8y ago
  That is already the case right now, anyone can be held without bail
  - downandout 8y ago
    They have the discretion, but it’s relatively rare. I guess I should have said that the system should be adjusted such that judges should be encouraged to do this far more often than they actually do, without the giving them additional power to arbitrarily hold people.

geggam 8y ago

Perhaps the silver lining would be the more people exposed to the screwed up legal system the sooner it really gets fixed ?

pm24601 8y ago

downandout 8y ago
Again, I do believe that the system should be adjusted to encourage judges to give free pretrial release to poor people that they think will show up for court. I just think that judges shouldn’t be given broad new authority to arbitrarily incarcerate people that can post money bail along with that adjustment.