
Sentencing Overhaul Proposed in Senate with Bipartisan Backing - jegutman
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/us/politics/senate-plan-to-ease-sentencing-laws.html
======
po
I think this is great news to right a wrong but a recent Slate article has me
worried that it won't be enough:
[http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/0...](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/02/mass_incarceration_a_provocative_new_theory_for_why_so_many_americans_are.single.html)

The basic argument is that the explosion in prison population is driven mostly
by changing attitudes/behavior of the prosecuting DA's in the past few
decades. They have simply chosen to go after felony charges more frequently
than in the past. This is problematic because they are elected and there is no
federal-level fix that can be applied.

~~~
simonh
Brit here. How often, and for how many posts do you typically vote in
elections in the US? It seems like everyone down to the local Librarian is an
elected official. Are these votes held one at a time, or is there one massive
election for a couple of dozen posts all at the same time every year or
something? What's the typical turnout for these elections? How is it decided
which posts will be elected and which ones are appointments, and does this
vary from place to place?

In comparison, we generally have two elections every 5 years. One for our MP
in Westminster, and one for our local council and these are often held
simultaneously. For many people, that's it. Some cities also have Mayoral
elections, and there can be town or parish council elections as well but
whether these exist or not is very local. I don't think we have any direct
elections to administrative positions, unless you count Mayors. There might be
some rare local exceptions to that but they're most likely purely ceremonial.

~~~
taejo
The elections are typically bundled, so in a particular November in some
places you might be voting for president, senator, representative, governor
(most states have gubernatorial elections halfway through presidential terms,
though), state representative, state senator, district attorney, sheriff,
school board, propositions (binding referenda on legislation or amendments to
state constitutions), ... Turnout varies a lot, with much higher turnouts in
presidential elections (but these additional voters may or may not vote on the
other ballots).

In the federal govt AIUI there are no elections for executive offices other
than the presidency, so only president, vice-president, senators and
representatives are elected. But many state and local executives are elected,
as determined by local legislation.

[http://images.dailykos.com/images/134822/large/Elected_offic...](http://images.dailykos.com/images/134822/large/Elected_officials.png?1426881549)
gives a breakdown of how many elected officials there are at various levels of
government.

~~~
simonh
Interesting, thanks.

------
WalterBright
It's a good step in the right direction.

Mandatory minimums should be removed entirely, as no law can cover all
circumstances. There will always be cases where the mandatory minimum is
unjust.

~~~
yummyfajitas
It would be terrible if photogenic, attractive and likeable people went to
jail for the same amount of time as an ugly asshole who isn't part of our
tribe. If that happened, we'd have a relatable human face going to jail.

~~~
blfr
I know what you're mocking but it _is_ a bigger loss of utility to have a good
looking, likeable person off the streets than an ugly one.

~~~
atrandom
i hope you go to jail and have a nice long think about what you just said.

~~~
yummyfajitas
I hope someone can come up with a rational argument against what blfr said.
The fact that you have little more than emotional condemnation suggests he
might have a good point.

~~~
zbyte64
How about that it is the opposite of what we consider fair and equal justice?
Justice should be blind to how attractive and wealthy you are. Jailing a rich
millionaire is a greater loss of utility then a homeless man. If you think
that is an argument for playing favourites then you do not grasp the concept
of justice.

