7 ms·

Sentencing Overhaul Proposed in Senate with Bipartisan Backing

54 points by jegutman 11y ago

po 11y ago
I think this is great news to right a wrong but a recent Slate article has me worried that it won't be enough: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/02/mass_incarceration_a_provocative_new_theory_for_why_so_many_americans_are.single.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/0... The basic argument is that the explosion in prison population is driven mostly by changing attitudes/behavior of the prosecuting DA's in the past few decades. They have simply chosen to go after felony charges more frequently than in the past. This is problematic because they are elected and there is no federal-level fix that can be applied.
- simonh 11y ago
  Brit here. How often, and for how many posts do you typically vote in elections in the US? It seems like everyone down to the local Librarian is an elected official. Are these votes held one at a time, or is there one massive election for a couple of dozen posts all at the same time every year or something? What's the typical turnout for these elections? How is it decided which posts will be elected and which ones are appointments, and does this vary from place to place? In comparison, we generally have two elections every 5 years. One for our MP in Westminster, and one for our local council and these are often held simultaneously. For many people, that's it. Some cities also have Mayoral elections, and there can be town or parish council elections as well but whether these exist or not is very local. I don't think we have any direct elections to administrative positions, unless you count Mayors. There might be some rare local exceptions to that but they're most likely purely ceremonial.
  - pjc50 11y ago
    The "police and crime commissioner" scheme was an attempt to replicate the US model of policing in the UK. However, since they don't have the power to direct prosecutions or any real budget, it's a completely useless £100k-year post that gets 5-15% turnout in elections.
  - taejo 11y ago
    The elections are typically bundled, so in a particular November in some places you might be voting for president, senator, representative, governor (most states have gubernatorial elections halfway through presidential terms, though), state representative, state senator, district attorney, sheriff, school board, propositions (binding referenda on legislation or amendments to state constitutions), ... Turnout varies a lot, with much higher turnouts in presidential elections (but these additional voters may or may not vote on the other ballots). In the federal govt AIUI there are no elections for executive offices other than the presidency, so only president, vice-president, senators and representatives are elected. But many state and local executives are elected, as determined by local legislation. http://images.dailykos.com/images/134822/large/Elected_officials.png?1426881549 http://images.dailykos.com/images/134822/large/Elected_offic... gives a breakdown of how many elected officials there are at various levels of government.
    - simonh 11y ago
      Interesting, thanks.
- happyscrappy 11y ago
  The conclusion of your linked article is: >Well, the real growth in the prison population comes from county-level district attorneys sending violent people to prison.
WalterBright 11y ago
It's a good step in the right direction. Mandatory minimums should be removed entirely, as no law can cover all circumstances. There will always be cases where the mandatory minimum is unjust.
- yummyfajitas 11y ago
  It would be terrible if photogenic, attractive and likeable people went to jail for the same amount of time as an ugly asshole who isn't part of our tribe. If that happened, we'd have a relatable human face going to jail.
  - blfr 11y ago
    I know what you're mocking but it is a bigger loss of utility to have a good looking, likeable person off the streets than an ugly one.
    - atrandom 11y ago
      i hope you go to jail and have a nice long think about what you just said.
      - yummyfajitas 11y ago
        I hope someone can come up with a rational argument against what blfr said. The fact that you have little more than emotional condemnation suggests he might have a good point.
        zbyte64 11y ago
        How about that it is the opposite of what we consider fair and equal justice? Justice should be blind to how attractive and wealthy you are. Jailing a rich millionaire is a greater loss of utility then a homeless man. If you think that is an argument for playing favourites then you do not grasp the concept of justice.

54 points by jegutman 11y ago

po 11y ago

I think this is great news to right a wrong but a recent Slate article has me worried that it won't be enough: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/02/mass_incarceration_a_provocative_new_theory_for_why_so_many_americans_are.single.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/0... The basic argument is that the explosion in prison population is driven mostly by changing attitudes/behavior of the prosecuting DA's in the past few decades. They have simply chosen to go after felony charges more frequently than in the past. This is problematic because they are elected and there is no federal-level fix that can be applied.

simonh 11y ago
Brit here. How often, and for how many posts do you typically vote in elections in the US? It seems like everyone down to the local Librarian is an elected official. Are these votes held one at a time, or is there one massive election for a couple of dozen posts all at the same time every year or something? What's the typical turnout for these elections? How is it decided which posts will be elected and which ones are appointments, and does this vary from place to place? In comparison, we generally have two elections every 5 years. One for our MP in Westminster, and one for our local council and these are often held simultaneously. For many people, that's it. Some cities also have Mayoral elections, and there can be town or parish council elections as well but whether these exist or not is very local. I don't think we have any direct elections to administrative positions, unless you count Mayors. There might be some rare local exceptions to that but they're most likely purely ceremonial.
- pjc50 11y ago
  The "police and crime commissioner" scheme was an attempt to replicate the US model of policing in the UK. However, since they don't have the power to direct prosecutions or any real budget, it's a completely useless £100k-year post that gets 5-15% turnout in elections.
- taejo 11y ago
  The elections are typically bundled, so in a particular November in some places you might be voting for president, senator, representative, governor (most states have gubernatorial elections halfway through presidential terms, though), state representative, state senator, district attorney, sheriff, school board, propositions (binding referenda on legislation or amendments to state constitutions), ... Turnout varies a lot, with much higher turnouts in presidential elections (but these additional voters may or may not vote on the other ballots). In the federal govt AIUI there are no elections for executive offices other than the presidency, so only president, vice-president, senators and representatives are elected. But many state and local executives are elected, as determined by local legislation. http://images.dailykos.com/images/134822/large/Elected_officials.png?1426881549 http://images.dailykos.com/images/134822/large/Elected_offic... gives a breakdown of how many elected officials there are at various levels of government.
  - simonh 11y ago
    Interesting, thanks.
happyscrappy 11y ago
The conclusion of your linked article is: >Well, the real growth in the prison population comes from county-level district attorneys sending violent people to prison.

WalterBright 11y ago

It's a good step in the right direction. Mandatory minimums should be removed entirely, as no law can cover all circumstances. There will always be cases where the mandatory minimum is unjust.

yummyfajitas 11y ago
It would be terrible if photogenic, attractive and likeable people went to jail for the same amount of time as an ugly asshole who isn't part of our tribe. If that happened, we'd have a relatable human face going to jail.
- blfr 11y ago
  I know what you're mocking but it is a bigger loss of utility to have a good looking, likeable person off the streets than an ugly one.
  - atrandom 11y ago
    i hope you go to jail and have a nice long think about what you just said.
    - yummyfajitas 11y ago
      I hope someone can come up with a rational argument against what blfr said. The fact that you have little more than emotional condemnation suggests he might have a good point.
      - zbyte64 11y ago
        How about that it is the opposite of what we consider fair and equal justice? Justice should be blind to how attractive and wealthy you are. Jailing a rich millionaire is a greater loss of utility then a homeless man. If you think that is an argument for playing favourites then you do not grasp the concept of justice.