this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2026
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hmmm
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Not exactly unique to the US justice system, it's a pretty common issue in western democracies.
You're very right that this is really bad psychologically and also stupidly expensive, but it's a hard issue because you also need to be diligent to avoid wrongful convictions, which are also really bad psychologically (real perpetrators get off free, and law-abiding people lose faith in the system even more).
I think there could be a better balance between taking time to get all the facts straight and taking immediate action to halt ongoing harm. The fact that the government can basically out sprint legal consequences because we have very few mechanisms to stop them in the moment is a problem.
We can stop a shooter or other violent criminal in the moment, but a more nebulous crime, like what most powerful and rich people commit is almost always left unchecked until long after it's already over and done with.
It's just another aspect of the class war really. The system handles poor criminals really well and is nearly useless in holding the rich accountable or stopping their crime sprees.
i mean, while you take the time to get all the facts straight you potentially imprison the innocent. there's layers to this onion
Something we already do for poor people. Violent criminals get held all the time and an arrested criminal waiting trial going out and committing even more crimes would result in jail without a bond option or one so high for that individual they'd never afford it.
If we applied the same logic to the rich, they'd be arrested, held for awhile, maybe released on bond depending on circumstances (which would probably be in the hundreds of millions or even billions to be equivalently painful to them). Then if they went out and did the same crimes again, they'd be locked up pending their trial, possibly with a new bond that's set at something totally absurd like 50 trillion dollars.
It is strictly a matter of the courts not being expanded and growing at the same rate as the rest of society. The only reason it takes so long to get your case through the court system is not because of technical complexity but because the courts are not equipped to deal with the volume of cases they need to process. We need more courts, more prosecutors, judges, lawyers, and clerks- not more cops.
Yeah but those fields take training 🙃