Plead guilty and get out of jail, or maintain your innocence, wait for trial and stay in. Yeah, sounds like a solid plan. On Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight,” John Oliver dug into one of the more questionable aspects of our criminal justice system: Bail. That’s when the court asks you to put up a certain amount of money as insurance that you will show up for your court date. But people without cash or resources are increasingly pleading guilty to crimes they didn’t commit — simply because they can’t afford bail, and they don’t want to remain in a dangerous prison. They, understandably, want to go home. That, of course, has huge ramifications for them. When they’re out, they…
Plead guilty and get out of jail, or maintain your innocence, wait for trial and stay in. Yeah, sounds like a solid plan.
On Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight,” John Oliver dug into one of the more questionable aspects of our criminal justice system: Bail. That’s when the court asks you to put up a certain amount of money as insurance that you will show up for your court date.
But people without cash or resources are increasingly pleading guilty to crimes they didn’t commit — simply because they can’t afford bail, and they don’t want to remain in a dangerous prison. They, understandably, want to go home.
That, of course, has huge ramifications for them. When they’re out, they will then have to contend with being a “convicted criminal,” which affects things down the line like employment and housing.
As Oliver explains, the system seems better suited for the reality-TV industry than it is for the poor.
Once again, when it comes to America …
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John Oliver Completely Destroys The Concept Of Bail In America’s Justice System
