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American Bail System Analysis

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In the late night show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”, aired on June 7, 2015, Oliver explains the social and economic inequality inherent in the American bail system, which works better for the reality TV than average citizens. The American bail system sounds simple on papers, if you are charged with a crime the court might ask for an amount of money as a bond and return it to you once you show up for trial. If you have the money, it is not a big deal, if not, you could be spending time in prison until the trial. The problem with this kind of system is that, in reality it disproportionately affects the poor while working best for those with money. According to John Oliver, “In 2013 an analysis of New Jersey jail population found that …show more content…
For instance, John Oliver explains that a millionaire Robert Durst who was accused of murder walks away from jail by throwing his money while a family man, named Niguel, who was caught driving with suspended license has to spend some time in jail because he cannot afford the bail. Staying in jail because you cannot afford to make the bail has immediate consequences for the working class family as well. Most people like him work jobs that if you do not show up for work you might lose it, which shows how the system is destroying people’s life for …show more content…
The problem with money bail system is clearly common sense, it disproportionately affects the poor, and it has nothing to do with what you have done than having the money to pay for bail, and does more harm. The first solution is to become aware of the problem, but Oliver also suggests there is a better way of doing it, like the city of Washington DC by implementing pre-trial service. The logic, as long as you are not a threat or flight risk then you should not be kept in jail because you cannot afford the bail. It has worked for the city by reducing the number and cost of prisoners, and has worked for the defendants fairly well by allowing them to fight the charges. The host concludes by urging the rest of America to adopt such fairness and effective way of dealing with the discriminatory bail

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