Op-ed: It’s time to let the public decide the appropriateness and length of prison sentences
A Solution: Let the Public Decide
Let the public decide the appropriateness of a prison sentence and whether the person’s incarceration was based on factors beyond the circumstances of the crime and the defendant’s criminal history.
This could be an academic project but it would probably be ideal to have the Associated Press or national media source conduct a poll of citizen perceptions of 50-100 individual cases in each state. Major media sources are creating an array of databases of mass shootings, school shootings, police shootings, and general crime issues so this endeavor would not be unreasonable.
Every media source would have to use the same format for recording-coding and offering the information and polls asking people about the fairness of a sentence and length, which is why The Associated Press (with offices in every state) would be perfect for the job.
All information as to sex and race would be excluded by the reporter-researcher offering a case summation to the public but kept for future reference to compare results.
Correctional systems would have to be reimbursed; via privacy act laws, sociological, psychological, medical history, and prior criminal charges-convictions cannot be made public unless names were redacted. Correctional authorities could not refuse because names and addresses or de facto identifications would be excluded, including those of the victim or anyone else identified in the file (i.e., a prison psychologist or medical provider).
Without names or any other form of identification as to address, sex, race, ethnicity, or well-publicized crime, we would know the charge, the circumstances of that charge, what the charge originally was before plea bargaining, criminal history, prior convictions, the results or previous convictions (time served in jail, parole and probation, prison, commitment to a mental health facility), their history of mental illness or drug use and what the victim(s) experienced.
Thus, this unknown-unidentified person would be convicted of aggravated assault (a plea reduced from armed robbery), and the sentence. The offender would have ten previous arrests, five incarcerations, and three placements on parole and probation (assuming that two were dismissed). We would learn that they have mental health issues and a history of cocaine use. We would understand their correctional history (did they report to their parole and probation officer, did they assault someone in prison?). We would know about current and previous crimes. We would know their treatment history (i.e., did he successfully complete drug treatment?). The redacted victim’s name but information (his hospital stay or psychological condition or monetary loss) would be included.
(Cont'd)
https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/op-ed-its-time-to-let-the-public-decide-the-appropriateness-and-length-of-prison-sentences/