I keep hearing about people in jail for 3+ years awaiting trial. If they’re ‘innocent until proven guilty’ I dont understand why they are confined. I thought there was a right to a speedy trial also or is that not really the case?
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There are a shitload of uneducated responses here. I don’t know where you guys live but in my state, the amount of bail a defendant is held on is based on a two-part decision by the court. First, the court determines whether or not the defendant is a danger to themselves or to another person or the community. Second, the court determines if the defendant is a flight risk. If the defendant is a danger or poses a significant flight risk, then and only then can he be held on an amount of cash bail that he financially cannot afford. The law in my state – which is New Hampshire – specifically says that a defendant cannot be held pretrial solely because he cannot afford to pay his bail unless the court has determined that he is a danger or a flight risk. Nobody in New Hampshire at least is being held just because they can’t pay the “ransom.”
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