So, a kid in school kills another kid. He had been bullied, threatened and harassed. I am not ready to say justified, but hey, agree on the facts and do something with the case. If you don’t, try it. But don’t set bail at $500,000 on a kid who cannot post it, keeping him in jail until the case can be resolved.
In Murder cases, bail can be denied. A person is entitled to bail in all other cases, with minor exceptions, not present here. Setting a bail which is clearly unnameable and outside the realm of Constitutional thinking, defeats the purpose of the 8th Amendment. Set a reasonable bail and let the kid get his life together, go to school (get him a tutor of home school), and receive counseling. Don’t set a bail that looks good in the newspapers, while denying justice.
You have to wonder, don’t you, why high bail was set in this case? Don’t you? Is the kid a threat to flee? Is the proof of guilt overwhelming and the conviction a certainty? Then again, maybe you don’t wonder, because you don’t know enough about the system or you read the NY Post.
