Unbalanced Sentencing Analysis

Improved Essays
In this justice system, people convicted of nonviolent drug crimes get prison times that are not appropriately scaled to the crime they may or may not have committed. These sentences include prison for life, a sentence that are given to cases of murder, abuse, rape, treason, terrorism, trafficking, severe cases of fraud, and other crimes that can possibly get the death penalty if the states allow it. This is largely the fault of a large drug crackdown during the 70’s and official laws were passed that unfortunately resulted in these unbalanced sentences. These laws must be revised to fix prison times and their excessiveness.
Secondly, when being faced with a plea bargain, most people will take the shorter sentence by announcing that they are

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Mandatory Minimums

    • 888 Words
    • 4 Pages

    According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence “at the most intense levels of drug use, drugs and crime are directly and highly correlated and serious drug use can amplify and perpetuate preexisting criminal activity”. Taking this into consideration, it is not hard to understand why so many people are in support of more severe sentences in response to drug related crimes. While the effectiveness of the use of mandatory minimums to reduce drug related crimes is questionable, supporters of mandatory minimums make some compelling arguments that apply to all mandatory minimums not just those set on drug…

    • 888 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On the Democratic side of the aisle who historically has been liberal in the criminal justice department, has called for a reduction of time in sentencing for crime involving drugs to combat the existing mass incarceration in this country. As an example, Senator Dick J. Durbin, (Democrat) from Illinois has co-sponsored a bill proposed to Congress to do just that stating that “The judicial system has been a critical element in keeping violent criminals off the street, but now we’re stepping back, and I think it’s about time, to ask whether the dramatic increase in incarceration was warranted” (Eckholm, 2015). In fact, many Democrats under the Obama administration along with Eric Holder have outspokenly called for a reduction in prison sentencing emphasizing the disparagement of the current justice system in place today. Commonly associated with their prison sentencing cut proposals is economic progress the country would make in simply reducing time served by any given inmate. To explain, by simply cutting the average nonviolent offender 's time in prison in half, the prison population would be reduced by about a quarter over the course of the next six years (Ehrenfreund, 2015).…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Sentencing Disparity

    • 1449 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Sentencing Disparity among Men and Women Does sentencing disparity exist among men in women who are being sentence for violent, property, and drug offenses? Is sentencing disparity based on race or what ethnic group you belong to? Does judicial bias really take place in the sentencing process? If you are convicted of a crime, the best thing you can having going for you is your gender. Fair sentencing is individualized sentencing.…

    • 1449 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to the Sentencing Project, which is a non-profit organization that promotes reduced reliance on incarceration and increased use of more effective alternatives to deal with crime, states that the United States correctional system of the past thirty years has been characterized by a population increasing the exponentially in response to changes in policy towards mandatory minimum and determinate sentencing (Sentencing). In other words, individuals convicted of a crime today are more likely to be sentenced to incarceration and spend longer terms in prison, than their counterparts in previous decades (Sentencing). In 2002, state and federal prison and local jail populations exceeded 2 million, a trend that has contributed to prison overcrowding and has overwhelmed state governments with the burden of funding this rapidly expanding penal system (Sentencing). These changes in policy have resulted in the reality that prisons today are filled with large numbers of non-violent and drug…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    President Barack Obama states that "it just doesn 't make sense to require a nonviolent drug offender to serve 20 years, or in some cases, life, in prison.” After granting pardons to over 58 nonviolent criminal offenders, he came to this conclusion. Obama makes a very good point here, why are we sentencing nonviolent offenders greater lengths than murders or rapists? The truth, America is caught up in the war on drugs. This results in failure to solve the real, bigger issue at hand.…

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drug Courts Recidivism

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Due to the implications of Reagan's War on Drugs laws, drug courts have demonstrated and proven to reduce recidivism for offenders who abuse substances. To deter overcrowding in the prisons, Researcher Messer has found that drug courts can be instrumental in deterring offenders from reoffending. It is surprising that “85% of offenders incarcerated require substance abuse treatment” (Messer, 2016). Drug courts allow offenders to “attain important skills/ideas, improve relationships with family and children, a general educational development certificate, a driver’s license, and/or gainful employment” (Messer, 2016). Researcher Shaffer studied over “80 drug courts and found recidivism rates of 46% for those who participated in drug court programming”…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Right To Bear Arms Essay

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the deal generated between some of the Senate’s most conservative and liberal members, judges would have the discretion to give sentences below the mandatory minimum for nonviolent drug offenders. Some current inmates could get their sentences reduced by as much as 25 percent by taking part in rehabilitation programs, if they are deemed a low risk to offend again. If this bill is passed, it will eliminate mandatory life sentences for three-time, nonviolent offenders. Violent offenders, sex offenders, inmates convicted of terrorism charges, and members of organized crime syndicates, and major fraud offenders would be excluded from this deal. The Senators’ goals include increasing fairness, decreasing recidivism, and controlling rising prison…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Crime In Prison

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages

    However, although crime has decreased, drug use has not decreased, and imprisonment rates are growing more drastic. Between 1993 and 1996, serious crime decreased by 5% and adult arrests increased by 12%, but adult arrests for serious crime only increased by 3%; in contrast, arrests for less serious crimes, like drug possession, grew by 14% (Cunniff 9). Yet despite the lack of impact of anti-drug programs, the government continues to take the same approach. Even despite the increase in prison populations, there are little to no regulations of prison populations (Schlanger 199). Clearly, the federal government must discontinue the emphasis on drug sentences and begin to put more effort into decreasing prison populations.…

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since the declaration of the war on drugs in America during the 1970s, incredible growth has been seen in prison population, as stated above with 700 percent increase in prisoners in our country. Even during 1982 when President Reagan officially called for a war on drugs, drug crime was on the decline. Many people think that the decision was based upon the introduction of crack cocaine and its extensive popularity in inner cities, although in reality the crack epidemic came after Reagans announcement of the “war.” Early on in the ordeal, there was a minimum sentencing placed on people who possessed drugs, punishing not a crime but a disease: addiction. Even after the initial hysteria caused by the war on drugs, some cases can result in a drug sentence longer than that of murderers and rapists.…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Overcrowding and mass incarceration have been problems in the United States prisons for decades. Overcrowding can be traced back to the late 1970 's with an inmate population increase of 750% from the 70 's to present(Rogan). This increasing number of prisoners has had major negative effects, not only on the inmates themselves, but also on the surrounding communities that these inmates have been taken from and will eventually be released back into. The more mass incarceration that goes on the more these prisons, communities, and future generations will continue to decrease. The well being of the prison inmates was put in such jeopardy, because of overcrowding, that in 2011 the Supreme Court decided with a 5:4 vote that California would have…

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In order to prevent substance abuse offenders from committing future drug related crimes, drug courts must be successfully implemented in all needed locations throughout the United States at a community-based alternative. Continuance and expansion of drug court is one step closer to positive change and prevention of future…

    • 1666 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If a resolution cannot be found relatively soon, taxpayers will be forced to spend more and more money to support the increasing prison facilities (www.thejha.org/overcrowding). One major option to reduce rates of overcrowding is to evaluate the length in sentencing for criminal acts, especially when it relates to non-violent drug offenses. This approach of limiting sentencing and the reducing criminal sanctions against minor crimes, such as drug usage, would drastically decrease the amount of prisoners forced into prisons. A report estimated that a reduction in the number of people entering prisons from drugs offenses by 20 percent would save 1.3 billion in the next 10 years, and reducing the drug sentencing length by 20 percent would save 1.1 billion in next 10 years (CITE). The other major consideration to reduce rates of overcrowding is to evaluate the readiness of prisoners so that they can become a part of society earlier within their sentencing timeframe.…

    • 1442 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    We need to understand that not all prisoners are the same; half of the population in prisons is nonviolent offenders, yet it is most likely that they will be back in prison within three years of being released. (“The Prison Problem”). So how can we fix this problem? Well, we need to start by making drug addiction a health problem, not a criminal one, separate violent and nonviolent criminals, and work on transforming not just rehabilitation.…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    While there is wide consensus that tougher penalties are necessary and appropriate for those convicted of serious violent or sex offenses, many policymakers are questioning the need for long prison terms for people convicted of less serious crimes such as nonviolent drug offenses. Some of these provisions were reversed during the fiscal crisis earlier this decade, resulting in severe prison overcrowding. States are also presented with a growing number of elderly and chronically ill prisoners whose ongoing care requires significant resources. To address these issues, officials have added or modified the laws and policies that determine the amount of time people spend in prison. These changes have the potential to lower prison populations, allowing states to close facilities and reduce corrections expenses in the longer term (Scott-Hayward,…

    • 1674 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Of the 2.3 million people in prison, 25 percent of them are there on drug offenses (Tiger). This number is predicted to rise if those convicted on drug charges continue to get punished instead of going through rehab. Many people look at those charged with drug offences as if they are just low life addicts who deserve to be punished. There is medical evidence that proves that drug addiction is a disease and can be treated. Although, the way that the prison system is setup currently these prisoners are not treated as if they have a medical condition and these people just end up getting…

    • 1835 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays

Related Topics