We should make the maximum sentence that can be sought at trial a small multiple of the minimum sentence. So the defendant is looking at a tradeoff of at most

We should make the maximum sentence that can be sought at trial a small multiple of the minimum sentence. So the defendant is looking at a tradeoff of at most a year in jail vs. three years in jail. Giving defendants a choice between a certain year in jail if they plead guilty or 15 years in jail if they're convicted, it becomes basically right for them to accept the former just from a risk management perspective. Playing a game of high-stakes poker with your freedom on the line makes a mockery of the very concept of justice.