... but those hopes probably won't get us far, so we need you judges to have some more mercy when sentencing. The Guideline Manual is definitely not your friend.
In the meantime, President Biden ended the year by granting clemency in simple marijuana possession cases, but as this Hill article by Rachel Barkow and Mark Olser point out, that did not do much and no one was released from prison. Biden also commuted 11 sentences, which was a bigger deal. But there is still a backlog of 16,000 cases. 16,000! Let's go Mr. President.
The below picture is a shrine to mercy at the Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong Kong. Every great culture values mercy. We need more of it in the United States.
5 comments:
Very true. When I think of the Chinese justice system, the word mercy is front of mind.
Sometimes mercy is a quick death. Or...showing mercy for society by locking up dangerous criminals.
Clemency and mercy with sentencing are not the only things that should be addressed. The department of justice needs to answer for its crimes. The lies, the false accusations, and the stop at nothing to get a win mentality all need to be stopped. Innocent people are going to prison. This is not only a problem for them and their families but for the entire constitution. The constitution was created for just and fairness. Innocent till proven guilty! However, the case as it stands is sadly the other way around, Guilty till proven guiltier!
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There also needs to be awareness raised that not all those in prison are criminals. There are thousands of people serving sentences for acts they did not commit. Those claiming not to be guilty deserve to have a closer look at their cases and should be able to present evidence towards their innocence. Sadly, trials are NOT FAIR or JUST! The government puts on a show similar to those you see in criminal minds and those that do not have the same resources as the government are left with nothing but a conviction of injustice. The government plays very dirty. They lie, twist facts, and put lying witnesses on the stands with promise of lesser sentencing to make you look like you are guilty. Anyone that goes against the government does not stand a chance regardless of their innocence.
I say we need mercy in some cases and stiffer sentences in others. White collar sentences, for one, generally need to be longer, even more so when the offenders do not return funds and fail to account for what happened to the money. We only catch a fraction of the thieves, so we need to send a message of deterrence - crime does not pay. The federal guidelines need to be raised, and the judges need to step up the sentences.
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