Introduction
Bail proceedings were originally intended to provide assurances that the accused would appear to answer the charges against her, and defendants had a right to bail pending trial. In more recent times defendants start serving their sentences at the time of arrest, prior to any adjudication of guilt. The current judicial system seems to mirror the judicial system of Lewis Carroll’s mythical kingdom where the Queen of Hearts would dispense justice by yelling: “No, no . . . sentence first, verdict afterwards.”1
