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Comment by reverius42 | Hacker News Reader

> no cash bail policies

This has nothing to do with Trump or right-vs-left. Cash bail is simply a privilege that those with money enjoy (to not go to jail while awaiting trial), that those without money don't. Perhaps some have suggested that in order to right this wrong, everyone should get free bail, but I think it would work equally well to hold everyone awaiting trial in jail (no bail).

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There's also the issue that some number of people tossed into jail are there on suspect evidence and later exonerated, and then in the meantime, they lose their job, miss payments on stuff so it gets repossessed, and suffer inhumane conditions. Good luck to them to then struggle to get their life back on track.

Cash bail has problems, as you point out, but it seems like “never cash bail” seems like a poor absolute.

No cash bail makes sense for first offenses, but if someone has a second, third, or 10th arrest while still awaiting trial bail should keep going up.

There’s a difference between someone being wrongly arrested for shoplifting and losing their job and custody of kids because they didn’t have $500 and someone being arrested 5 times in a week for the same crime.

Ok, then like I said, make it no bail (stay in jail) instead of free bail.

Most other countries manage without going to the extreme of no bail or universal bail, yet manage it with no money involved

I like how every possible solution involving treating poor folks equally to rich folks under the law is an "extreme".

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