U.S. expert warns against (mandatory) minimum sentences

[alp227]

Source: CBC News

U.S. expert warns against minimum sentences

A former U.S. attorney and Republican congressman is warning that mandatory minimum sentences can create unfairness in the justice system.

Asa Hutchinson, who is now part of a group of conservatives who want to re-evaluate "tough on crime" policies based on fairness and cost to taxpayers, told the House of Commons public safety committee Thursday that the United States made a number of mistakes and he hopes Canada can learn from them.

"When you talk about mandatory minimums, it created a lot of unfairness in our sentencing. There instances of someone being peripherally involved... getting hit with a mandatory minimum, getting 10 years or more in prison, so we created escape valves... gave the judge more discretion to avoid a mandatory minimum when it created unfairness. So we had to do some legislative fixes," said Hutchinson, of Right on Crime.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/03/03/pol-prison-expansions.html

[Vattel]

1. of course, anyone with a brain always knew this

[dbt]

2. Asa Hutchinson wants to talk about UNFAIRNESS?? WTF!!!

Would this be the same smirking, sanctimonious, self-righteous son of a BITCH who paraded into the Senate behind Old Stripes Rehnquist (may he continue to BURN IN HELL) in his Holy Black Fucking ROBES when they all KNEW their "case" against Bill (Lawfully Elected) Clinton was DOA?!?!?

Would this be the same Asa Hutchinson who needs to kiss my shiny metal ass for the next ten thousand years having the unmitigated GALL to be talking about UNFAIRNESS???

Damn, the shit you witness when you ain't got a brick!

:bounce:

[necso]

3. After removing judicial discretion (judgement),

what's next... removing it from juries?

Not that the "justice" system is, in practice, much more than a conviction machine.