5 ms·
It's not just "journalists or bloggers" who do that; the government will often quote the maximum possible when discussing the case as well, in order to intimida
by mjn 13y ago
It's not just "journalists or bloggers" who do that; the government will often quote the maximum possible when discussing the case as well, in order to intimidate the defendant into a plea bargain.
- mpyne 13y agoThe government at least mentions that it's a maximum sentence. There's no other specific number they can quote anyways, it's not like they know what the judge and jury might approve that far ahead of time.
- jessaustin 13y agoA more ethical group of prosecutors than we have (recruited, perhaps, among the sea pirates, slave traders, and drug kingpins of the world?), wouldn't make speculative statements about sentencing at all, much less to the media.
- mpyne 13y agoBecause obviously allowing the media to make speculative statements with are completely unfounded is much better than at least tempering with fact. OK.
- jessaustin 13y ago"Facts" don't miraculously appear out of prosecutors' asses. Prosecutors are not uninterested parties in trials, and if you really cared about the veracity of media reports you would encourage the media to do its own reporting rather than lap up press releases.
- lawnchair_larry 13y agoYep, which is why it's appropriate to quote the same figures when criticizing the bad behavior of the prosecution. Even if they won't get the maximum, the number is still significant, because it serves as the anchor for extorting a plea bargain, as well as sentencing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring