Whats Wrong With Sentencing Guidelines?
The flaw in sentencing guidelines is that the sentences do not reflect the quantum leap in harm when you go from a behavioral (e.g., drugs) or nonviolent property crime (theft or burglary) to a violent crime. An offender’s lack of a prior record may justify a short sentence or even probation in the case of a property crime, but it is no mitigating factor for the victim of a violent crime who, in many cases, has suffered irrevocable harm, ranging from severe emotional trauma to death. Consequently, the sentencing guidelines prescribed sentences that often fell horribly short of fitting the crime. This caused victims to feel re-victimized by the justice system, engendered in offenders and potential offenders a lack of respect for the justice system, and failed to protect the public. There are many examples of tragedies that occurred under lenient pre-Measure 11 sentencing laws, including Sentencing Guidelines and its even more lenient predecessor system.
Related Questions
- I opened the Citation Guidelines and now I want to review them again, but when I press on the link in the text to Citation Guidelines, they don appear. Whats wrong?
- What are the Sentencing Guidelines, and how do they relate to mandatory minumum sentences?
- What was the original purpose of the Sentencing Guidelines?
