Most civilized countries feature, in their legal code, a means enabling an accused to legally step outside of a jail cell by posting bail, of cash or other value. That is then held by the court with the expectation that the accused will return to stand trial. And while the accused may then “go directly to jail,” the bail will be returned to whomever posted it.

The party providing the bail is not responsible for determining if the accused is appropriate to be let back out into society. The bail provider is not responsible for setting the dollar value of the bail. The party so responsible is an officer of the court. The judge.

In our public life it is expected that before speaking at a town government function one identifies oneself. It is customary, to have one’s letter published in a news publication, to identify oneself. And it is customary, if one has the courage of one’s convictions, to identify oneself. I am more than disappointed to read that at a public Hopkinton Select Board meeting (held via Zoom), this customary expectation of a party stating their name before speaking, or that when a letter is read to those in attendance the name or names of the signers will be stated, was not followed. That a long-time, earnest, competent, thoughtful member of the Hopkinton community was skewered, anonymously, in our Town Hall, and that it was enabled by our elected officials, I find profoundly distasteful.

— Edwin Harrow, Hopkinton

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