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Comment by atsushin | Hacker News Reader

That's a great question that I don't have a solid answer to. But one change that I think could be beneficial is at least an expedited judicial process for foreigners like Hutchins, visitors that only intended to stay in the United States for a short period of time before being arrested on suspicion of a crime.

Hutchins was fortunate that he had some money and a sort of safety net in the form of donations, a network of people who knew him, etc. For most people without that type of support, I would imagine being prevented from leaving the States for an extended amount of time would be nothing less than devastating.

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You’re literally advocating for a two tiered justice system.

As a consequence of a two-tiered citizen / resident vs not-citizen system.

You’re gonna have to explain what on earth you could possibly mean by that. Citizens and non-citizens have equal rights under the US justice system. Awaiting trial sucks for anybody, there’s no reason to give any class of people special entitlements.

Ah yes, "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. "

I think that actual equality would have him awaiting trial on bail back home in the UK, not Los Angeles.

And what does that have to do with citizenship? It doesn’t really sound like you’re putting forward a coherent argument for anything at all.

> It doesn’t really sound like you’re putting forward a coherent argument for anything at all

Please check your language. Why does this wind you up so much?

I refer you to this that goes into in in more detail: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20541499

Other people get it, if you don't; you don't and can stop bothering me with aggressive questions. People on the internet don't, in general, "gonna have to explain". It's optional.

You said that a two tiered justice system was a justified response to a two tiered system based on citizenship. When I asked you to explain yourself, you started talking about income inequality. I’m not being wound up, I just can’t follow anything you’re saying, because it seems you can’t stick to one topic for more than one comment at a time.

> When I asked you to explain yourself, you started talking about income inequality.

I can't tell if you're missing the point deliberately or not. Either way, I'm not interested.

He's saying "US bad for acting like a sovereign nation with rule of law"

> 'Awaiting trial sucks for anybody'

There is quite a stark difference between waiting in your home, with your family, while being able to continue your day to day life (if you are a resident/citizen) and not being able to go back to your life, losing your job in your home country, while not being allowed to find a job either in the US, all the while you have to pay for accommodation and food for months or a year out of thin air (in the case of most non-residents).

How can you think both those situations equally suck?

Losing your job and not being able to get another one is a pretty common outcome of being on bail for serious charges. If you turn out to be guilty (like Marcus is), then it’s really no big deal. If you’re innocent, then the entire pre-trial experience is usually going to completely turn your life upside down. There is no reasonable justification for creating a two-tiered justice system where a certain class of people either have expedited trials, or completely outrageous bail conditions.

> If you turn out to be guilty (like Marcus is), then it’s really no big deal.

I put it to you that the person so affected, and sentenced to time served, would in fact find it to be a "big deal".

It’s entirely appropriate for a person guilty of a crime to be punished for it.

nevertheless, they would find it to be a "big deal".

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