> If we want to get an amen chorus going about how we should fix bail for blue collar defendants, I'm right there with you
I'm generally in favor of the argument that we should fix disparities by bringing up the disfavored group rather than bringing down the favored group. I think that's generally right.
But, I do think there's a serious risk of allowing a two-tier system of justice to exist (and we do have a two-tier justice system, I think at this point there's pretty little argument over that; the rich are treated very differently from the legislature, the prosecutors, the police, and the judges). Allowing them to continue to have a separate system where they don't experience the same injustices that poor defendants regularly experience means the people with political power are very disinclined to actually cause meaningful change. So the injustices will perpetuate.
For that reason, I'm inclined to call for exactly that: white collar defendants to get the exact same treatment as blue collar defendants. No worse, but no better. Because when those white collar defendants experience those horrific injustices, the system is more likely to change for the better.
I suspect this is just a difference of expectations. I think it's more likely we can treat white collar defendants worse, and then improve the system for everyone, than it is to convince those in power to just start treating blue collar defendants better. But I understand you probably don't agree with that.
Ultimately, I think we must continually work to eliminate the discrepancies in the justice system, because those discrepancies allow people with power to completely disregard this as a significant issue. And I think we probably will always need to be working at this from both ends.