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Criminal prosecutors (District Attorneys) in the United States have a near 100% conviction rate. This is because they selectively choose the cases they want to

Criminal prosecutors (District Attorneys) in the United States have a near 100% conviction rate. This is because they selectively choose the cases they want to prosecute. By your logic, are you also saying the United States makes a mockery of the criminal justice system? So if you get convicted of a crime in the US, then you’d better pray to God that it isn’t handled by the DA.

fla 7y ago
The big difference AFAIK is that in USA, most of the cases end up with a deal between parties. In Japan the notion of deal doesn't exist.
- jacobush 7y ago
  It could be that Japan is lenient and does not prosecute cases which are not cut and dry. I don't know. Anyway I don't know how much you are helping the USA here in your argument. A deal in the US is often like: "Look, kid. With this deal, you get 1 year in prison. If we choose to prosecute, you are looking at 30 years to life. Your call. Remember, you have a [kid|mother|girlfriend]." Who would risk going up in court, even if you maybe didn't even do very much? It's basic economics. The risk is too great that jury is going to hate you, no matter what you did or didn't do. Better take the bargain and cut your losses.
  - raverbashing 7y ago
    The plea bargain for criminal cases (especially for people with reduced access to defense attorneys) is certainly problematic. Settlements, for civil cases, not so much, and I think it's an overall positive.
- _Codemonkeyism 7y ago
  Where the deal is, we don't put you to jail for 50+ years, you agree to be guilty and go for 10 years. With the prospect of ending your life in prision, everyone does a deal.
gorgoiler 7y ago
It’s common to read criticisms of the justice system in that regard. If the DA is able to construe a set of charges carrying a maximum multi-year or even multi-decade custodial sentence, and when the option of not even being able to be considered for parole can be added as a condition of your sentence — no matter what kind of prison behavior you show, or how you respond as a prisoner to rehabilitation or reconciliation programs — then the plea bargaining process itself begins to seem a lot like an extrajudicial and unconstitutional trial of the kind one is surprised a moral society would endorse.

fla 7y ago

The big difference AFAIK is that in USA, most of the cases end up with a deal between parties. In Japan the notion of deal doesn't exist.

jacobush 7y ago
It could be that Japan is lenient and does not prosecute cases which are not cut and dry. I don't know. Anyway I don't know how much you are helping the USA here in your argument. A deal in the US is often like: "Look, kid. With this deal, you get 1 year in prison. If we choose to prosecute, you are looking at 30 years to life. Your call. Remember, you have a [kid|mother|girlfriend]." Who would risk going up in court, even if you maybe didn't even do very much? It's basic economics. The risk is too great that jury is going to hate you, no matter what you did or didn't do. Better take the bargain and cut your losses.
- raverbashing 7y ago
  The plea bargain for criminal cases (especially for people with reduced access to defense attorneys) is certainly problematic. Settlements, for civil cases, not so much, and I think it's an overall positive.
_Codemonkeyism 7y ago
Where the deal is, we don't put you to jail for 50+ years, you agree to be guilty and go for 10 years. With the prospect of ending your life in prision, everyone does a deal.

gorgoiler 7y ago

It’s common to read criticisms of the justice system in that regard. If the DA is able to construe a set of charges carrying a maximum multi-year or even multi-decade custodial sentence, and when the option of not even being able to be considered for parole can be added as a condition of your sentence — no matter what kind of prison behavior you show, or how you respond as a prisoner to rehabilitation or reconciliation programs — then the plea bargaining process itself begins to seem a lot like an extrajudicial and unconstitutional trial of the kind one is surprised a moral society would endorse.