That’s fucking bullshit. Detaining people is absolutely a law enforcement operation.

  • jonesey71@lemmus.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 day ago

    I was arrested and bond was set ridiculously high and didn’t waive my speedy trial rights because I wanted to go to trial ASAP and get out of jail. The judge delayed it twice on me and I spent 270 days in jail until I found a bail bondsman who didn’t require any collateral because he believed someone who spent 270 days in jail instead of pleading out for time served wouldn’t jump bail. Charges were dropped shortly after I bailed out. I am not sure how they justified delaying my trial over and over but it was 100% bullshit.

    • bss03@infosec.pub
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 day ago

      I wish that injustice didn’t happen to you, but I believe it did. Also, it tracks with some of the “issues” with speedy trials in the U.S.

      Depending on jurisdiction the clock “stops” when there’s a undecided motion in front of the court and in those jurisdictions it’s relatively easy for a prosecutor and a judge to conspire to put off a “speedy” trial arbitrarily long. I’m sure such tactics could give grounds for appeal, and might even be standing to sue the judge, prosecutor, and jurisdiction for violating your constitutional rights, but they’ll definitely work at least until the are properly and expensively challenged to establish precedent. Plus, I know sometimes constitutional rights are held to protect someone from federal action, but most criminal complains are handled by the states, and not every state has a “speedy trail” in their state constitution.

      The criminal system in the U.S. is too easily abused by authority; we need real reform. I think we need do need jails and prisons and adversarial court cases, but there’s got to be some way to get by with fewer of them.