Paying Public Debts to Private Companies
People make mistakes. They get into trouble. And then they become a cog in a political-financial machine. Should a half-million people sit in jail because they can’t afford to pay a bondsman, who does almost nothing to earn his fee? Should taxpayers be subsidizing these crooks? Should nonviolent petty criminals have their lives ruined because they can’t afford 50 bucks to get out of jail? NPR, in a three-part series, takes a very hard look at the bail bond racket and it’s eye opening.