But that would mean putting him with common criminals...
Well, the judge in the Madoff case made his decision today: Madoff can remain free on bond. I hadn't been aware until today that he's free on a personal recognizance bond. And here I'd always thought recognizance bonds were meant to ensure that poor people without any resources wouldn't have to languish in jail until their trials.
To be fair, the judge did impose some "tough" new restrictions on a man who had already violated the terms of his release. Madoff now has to deal with the harsh, brutal conditions of...well, having his mail inspected and his assets inventoried every couple of weeks, basically.
The bottom line is that Bernie Madoff gets to remain under "arrest" in a luxury apartment with maids and butlers and chefs serving him lobster. Meanwhile, many of his victims have lost their life savings and are not free to leave their homes either--not because of a court order, but because they are hard-pressed simply to be able to buy gas.
The moral of the story, boys and girls: You don't actually have to go to jail with the common criminals as long as you're rich, white, male, and you steal a whole lot.
To be fair, the judge did impose some "tough" new restrictions on a man who had already violated the terms of his release. Madoff now has to deal with the harsh, brutal conditions of...well, having his mail inspected and his assets inventoried every couple of weeks, basically.
The bottom line is that Bernie Madoff gets to remain under "arrest" in a luxury apartment with maids and butlers and chefs serving him lobster. Meanwhile, many of his victims have lost their life savings and are not free to leave their homes either--not because of a court order, but because they are hard-pressed simply to be able to buy gas.
The moral of the story, boys and girls: You don't actually have to go to jail with the common criminals as long as you're rich, white, male, and you steal a whole lot.