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Hysteria whipped up by media/politicians, private prison industry etc all contribute to the problem, but the attitude of the general public towards crime/punish

Hysteria whipped up by media/politicians, private prison industry etc all contribute to the problem, but the attitude of the general public towards crime/punishment is very different here. This is true even after someone gets released from prison - it is so hard to find jobs, apartments etc once you've been to prison. I don't know of any other country that has elections for judges!

madengr 9y ago
That’s a safeguard to prevent the executive branch (president, governor, mayor) from installing judges. I vote them out every election. They should have term limits.
- stordoff 9y ago
  Is blinding voting to remove not counter-productive? I feel like it would incentivise judges to act even more in line with popular opinion to swing the needle back the other way.
CaptSpify 9y ago
I'm curious as to why you think elections for judges is a bad thing? I'm not advocating for that system (I'm the first to say the US system is completely fucked), but the only other way I know of is by getting appointed, which also seems like a terribly corrupt system to me.
- isostatic 9y ago
  Do you think we should elect doctors? Surely doctors should be experts in medicene, and judges should be experts on law. If you're elected you are an expert in being elected.
  - iforgotpassword 9y ago
    Yes but if a doctor sucks, nobody will consult him anymore after a while but with judges you don't get to pick one ...
    - isostatic 9y ago
      Next time I get taken to hospital having been in a car crash I'll be sure to review the doctor's ratings on yelp before he stems the catastrophic internal bleeding
- stordoff 9y ago
  IMO the primary problem is with retention elections - if a serving judge must face the electorate to remain in his position, then he is encouraged to make populist decisions in court, rather than decisions in the interest of justice/public policy. Judicial elections in general also bring in unwelcome outside influences to the process (monetary campaign backing, campaigning along party lines despite the fact judges are supposed to be politically independent) and the best judges may not be the best politicians/campaigners.

madengr 9y ago

That’s a safeguard to prevent the executive branch (president, governor, mayor) from installing judges. I vote them out every election. They should have term limits.

stordoff 9y ago
Is blinding voting to remove not counter-productive? I feel like it would incentivise judges to act even more in line with popular opinion to swing the needle back the other way.

CaptSpify 9y ago

I'm curious as to why you think elections for judges is a bad thing? I'm not advocating for that system (I'm the first to say the US system is completely fucked), but the only other way I know of is by getting appointed, which also seems like a terribly corrupt system to me.

isostatic 9y ago
Do you think we should elect doctors? Surely doctors should be experts in medicene, and judges should be experts on law. If you're elected you are an expert in being elected.
- iforgotpassword 9y ago
  Yes but if a doctor sucks, nobody will consult him anymore after a while but with judges you don't get to pick one ...
  - isostatic 9y ago
    Next time I get taken to hospital having been in a car crash I'll be sure to review the doctor's ratings on yelp before he stems the catastrophic internal bleeding
stordoff 9y ago
IMO the primary problem is with retention elections - if a serving judge must face the electorate to remain in his position, then he is encouraged to make populist decisions in court, rather than decisions in the interest of justice/public policy. Judicial elections in general also bring in unwelcome outside influences to the process (monetary campaign backing, campaigning along party lines despite the fact judges are supposed to be politically independent) and the best judges may not be the best politicians/campaigners.