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Saturday, November 14, 1998

Unequal justice -bail

In the case of accused child molester, James Alderman,( story,

    page A5 , Nov.14 , Providence Journal ) we read : " bail requirements

    are not lowered to accommodate a client's financial situation "  AND

    " Alderman  should stay locked up until trial ".

            Does one have to be a Solomon to see the injustice here ? Is

    the client also implicitly GUILTY of low economic status - an officially

    unrecognized CRIME ?

          In general why do we not challenge this blatant injustice of fixed

    bail and fixed fines - independent of an individual real means ?

           I read, for example, that a person who gets caught recklessly passing

    a stopped school bus can be fined $300.00 . But what a difference in

    punishment ! A rich lawyer loses his weekend parting money; a poor

    laborer loses nearly a month's rent !

           For months now in this White House sex scandal we have been hearing:

    " Nobody is above the law ! " . But it seems that the less affluent are


    all too often... BENEATH THE LAW ! ( less affluent )

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Ron