Go directly to jail.

• Author: Peters, Charles
• Position: Tilting at Windmills - Petty crimes, big punishments - Brief Article

If you were charged with bicycling on the sidewalk at night without a headlight, an offense that carries a maximum fine of $100, what would you think is a reasonable amount of bail? Judge Henry R. Bauer of Troy, N.Y., decided that $25,000 was just the right figure. When the defendant couldn't pay it, the judge jailed him for seven days, until the defendant finally pleaded guilty. He also neglected, according to Andy Newman of The New York Times, to "tell the man he had the right to a lawyer." It...