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sokpuppet1 t1_ivfpc91 wrote

An indictment of both our prison system and our healthcare system.

"Her husband was taken to jail and received a bail he couldn’t afford. Less than two weeks later, he took his own life.

'I thought that maybe going to jail, he was going to go to some classes, some things for him to reflect on, and it wasn’t like that,' Guamán said. 'What happened was that he died.'"

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Dr_Pepper_spray t1_ivgdh9v wrote

What strikes me about all this is the thought that jail and prison aren't the same thing. You can be arrested for a crime, let's say rape, that you didn't commit, and you may not get a trial for months if not years. They'll shove you in Rikers where you'll have to survive amongst gangs and bullies, you'll have to get money for commissary that other inmates will try to bargin or steal from you and meanwhile you won't be working and all your shit on the outside will fall apart because you got accused of a crime you didn't commit.

Under a cash-bail system those who had means to pay the bail got out to at least cover their lives, while those too poor just stayed inside that dungeon and fell apart.

It's no fucking wonder.

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sokpuppet1 t1_ivh0dla wrote

80% of people confined to Rikers have not been convicted of a crime, which is absolutely nuts when you realize some of them are there for years.

This case in particular I'll never understand how it can happen in America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalief_Browder

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Neckwrecker t1_ivhd9o6 wrote

>"Her husband was taken to jail and received a bail he couldn’t afford. Less than two weeks later, he took his own life.

How is that possible? I have it on good authority from several fucking idiots that every criminal in NYC is given Mets tickets, a Dunkin gift card and then set free.

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