03-02-2014, 09:55 PM
I don't know which justice system is best.
The US has less cushy conditions in some cases, longer sentences AFAIK, the death penalty -- all of those things that you cited in the OP which I agree with for violent offenders, kevvome.
Yet, we also have extraordinarily long sentences in some cases for non-violent offenses, little consistency in laws and sentences between states (not all of them have the death penalty), slow moving wheels of justice in a lot of cases (expensive too), and our fair share of wrongful convictions for those sentenced to death. Also, the self-defense laws in some states make it too easy to kill without legal repercussions, in my view.
In California, Governor Jerry Brown has agreed to the release of over 2,000 lifers -- primarily due to another result of the problems that I highlighted in the paragraph above: overcrowding of prisons in the US. I believe other states are moving in the same direction. Life without parole is going to be used more sparingly in the future, IMO.
On the plus side, many states and the US Attorney General are also reducing sentences for some non-violent crimes including illegal marijuana possession, along with releasing early some convicts that have already served many years behind bars for such offenses.
For violent juvenile offenders, to the best of my knowledge, England and the US face similar challenges. What's appropriate sentencing, especially for minors who rape and kill? I'm seeing more minors who are too young to be tried as adults according to state laws and will therefore have to be released by the time they're only 25 years old, no matter how horrific the crime and how little remorse is shown.
Welcome to Mock.
The US has less cushy conditions in some cases, longer sentences AFAIK, the death penalty -- all of those things that you cited in the OP which I agree with for violent offenders, kevvome.
Yet, we also have extraordinarily long sentences in some cases for non-violent offenses, little consistency in laws and sentences between states (not all of them have the death penalty), slow moving wheels of justice in a lot of cases (expensive too), and our fair share of wrongful convictions for those sentenced to death. Also, the self-defense laws in some states make it too easy to kill without legal repercussions, in my view.
In California, Governor Jerry Brown has agreed to the release of over 2,000 lifers -- primarily due to another result of the problems that I highlighted in the paragraph above: overcrowding of prisons in the US. I believe other states are moving in the same direction. Life without parole is going to be used more sparingly in the future, IMO.
On the plus side, many states and the US Attorney General are also reducing sentences for some non-violent crimes including illegal marijuana possession, along with releasing early some convicts that have already served many years behind bars for such offenses.
For violent juvenile offenders, to the best of my knowledge, England and the US face similar challenges. What's appropriate sentencing, especially for minors who rape and kill? I'm seeing more minors who are too young to be tried as adults according to state laws and will therefore have to be released by the time they're only 25 years old, no matter how horrific the crime and how little remorse is shown.
Welcome to Mock.