I've visited a county correctional facility on variations of refusing jaywalking or camping citations or missing a court time.
while there I noticed that there was an opportunity to provide much more reading material (at a particular event there was to my perception less than a book per person per
area)
a bail tax is regressive: the wretched are drained of money at a time of need; repeat offenders might like the idea though as they've been there; if correctional facility clients could vote they might vote to favor a bail tax
things being what they are a .5 pt tax on bail would earn hundreds of thousands of $ to provide correctional clients with reading material at least some of which could be pre rehabilitative
razors are allowed at the correctional facility thus PDAs with software would be a navigable risk
with possibly rehabilitative reading, music n software the correctional clients would spend less time communicating with each other (the corrections officers call the place "crime school"); thus as weird as it may sound a book or software activity that occupies a third of a correctional clients hours reduces their crime learning a third even if the reading is all pleasure
even a paltry 40k would provide 10k books
It is my perception that administration eats basically all of the taxes that the normal citizens pay; with a purpose specified bail tax where the tax goes only to media items the correctional facilities would be either more rehabilitative or at least less crime amplifying places
as a kind of peculiar democracy, rackets, if they actually occur, could think: why commit crimes when you can talk city councils nto robbing the correctional clients: thousands of counties across the US; sounds nice to city councils; "tough on crime" persons will be pleased that bail is steeper while rehabilitative persons will favor the merciful aspect; on the thought there might be "gangs" at correctional facilities any association pushing such a tax is a way the upper guides of "gangs" can provide benefits to their "peeps" even if the guides pocket most of the funds
remember: 100k annual tax on bail is nothing but provides "peeps" with authentic value; each thousand counties that use this idea represents 100 million dollars most of which cleverly placed assoociates could lift while still creating a more generous feeling environment from the "peeps" perspective