Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

twitter.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 123 posts

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#71

Post by jplayer01 »

cortesoft wrote: post #60
unqueued wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we just stopped enforcing the laws, the damage to our society would be incalculable. Is it worth it to prosecute petty thefts for less than $100? If not, then we are giving the green light to that kind of crime. What incentive would you have to run a small business selling things if the state won't enforce the law? > This line of thinking has two serious problem: it assumes that people 1) Actually intentionally br…

> What incentive would you have to run a small business selling things if the state won't enforce the law? Small businesses exist even in places with no laws. Not saying it is a good idea to not have laws, or not enforce them, but it isn't like EVERYTHING ceases to work when laws aren't enforced. I also don't think the effect is incalculable. We have lots of examples of places where the government collapses and there…

> Small businesses exist even in places with no laws

Only because other power structures emerge with their own rules. I think I’ll take laws over "lawlessness".

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#72

Post by sureaboutthis »

jrockway wrote: post #26

We should just make the subway free. $2.75 doesn't come close to covering the cost of the ride, so why add a regressive tax on what amounts to a basic need?

The ride is a fixed cost to some extent no matter how many people ride the train. The system gets $2.75 times the thousands that ride that one train. So it's $2.75 times many thousands and not just $2.75.

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#73

Post by m0zg »

Hithredin wrote: post #37
m0zg wrote: post #3

Seems like a good idea to accompany the jail stay with a $22K bill for the costs. Don't want to pay the fine? Pay the goddamn fare.

Or just make public transportation free... How much does all the payment system cost anyway? Controls, fines, machines, offices, softwares, time lost to force people to pay while entering...

Let me know when you figure out how to make anything truly "free". We'll build a perpetual motion engine and get rich.

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#74

Post by dls2016 »

uxp100 wrote: post #11

"I could demonstrate to you that every single bank robbery, that in every single case practically, the cost of the police was more than the actual money that the robbers took from the bank. Does that mean, 'Oh, you see, there's really no economic interest involved, then. They're not protecting the banks. The police are just doing this because they're on a power trip, or they're macho, or they're control freaks, that'…

Ok, but when was the last time anyone ever went to jail for wage theft? Once you look at which crimes lead to arrest and the racial/economic background of those arrested, this quote quickly stops making sense. It's the broken windows theory, plain and simple.

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#75

Post by dls2016 »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #55

This looks like outrage fuel. I'm really not seeing meaningful solutions proposed. It's quite common in the US to do things like prosecute a notorious mafioso on tax evasion because they can't prove the murders etc. that he's responsible for. We don't know all the details of this specific case. Yes, I get it, our entire 'justice' system is the worst element of a nation with a long history of racism. I wish we would f…

> I'm really not seeing meaningful solutions proposed.

Stop jailing people for nonviolent crimes. Give the turnstile jumper the same treatment as the embezzler. Reduce the ridiculous US prison population!

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#76

Post by m0zg »

jakelazaroff wrote: post #51
m0zg wrote: post #3

Seems like a good idea to accompany the jail stay with a $22K bill for the costs. Don't want to pay the fine? Pay the goddamn fare.

So, presuming the punishment for not paying the jail bill is more jail: if you can't make at least $182,500 per year, you should just stay in jail forever?

Or pay the fare. Up to you. I don't see why I should pay somebody else's fare, or, for that matter, the cost of keeping them in jail if they insist that I pay their fare.

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#77

Post by dls2016 »

brianpgordon wrote: post #8

I don't know enough to take a position on this issue one way or another, but I think it should be pointed out that expensive jail time for a few people could serve as a deterrent that results in enough increased fare revenue to offset the cost.

Ok, now make the same argument for those guilty of wage theft and see how much push back you get.

(Estimates suggest wage theft and shoplifting both cost the US economy ~$40 billion/year. But one of these crimes results in virtually zero jail time.)

What is behind the US love affair with jail? It's perverse.

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#78

Post by david38 »

Scoundreller wrote: post #56
addicted wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That assumes people would pay the money otherwise. Which is almost certainly not true. The people who don’t pay likely don’t have the money in the first place or are drunk. It’s unlikely they would have paid any ways.

I like the French system of school lunches. Every student has a card to pay for lunch. The exact price charged is on a sliding scale depending on family income. One child has no idea what the other is charged, it's just a swipe of the card. You're also not allowed to bring your own lunch to eat in the cafeteria, but that system can work out okay when you have dedicated chefs at each school, and cheap good cheese (and…

Not allowed to bring your own? You think this is a good thing? God forbid I make some food at home. Sounds like a protection racket to me or a social equality experiment gone crazy.

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#79

Post by dls2016 »

ram_rar wrote: post #23

Can someone explain it to me, why in SF its treated as a minor ticket similar to overdue parking meters as apposed to NYC where people are jailed for not having a valid ticket ? Never thought NYC could be soo ridiculous.

NYPD has a long history of implementing the "broken windows" theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory#New_York...

Re: 60 days in jail for not paying a $2.75 subway fare costs the city $22,000

#80

Post by failrate »

kristopolous wrote: post #69
zaroth wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if they handed out $50 tickets for fare evasion, how much revenue would that generate?

The person who can't afford $2 is now going to pay $50? From where? How?

Have them spend a shift cleaning garbage. Done.
Post reply on HN