Comments on: Please compare http://snowedin.net/blog/2008/04/07/please-compare/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:35:50 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: erik http://snowedin.net/blog/2008/04/07/please-compare/comment-page-1/#comment-844 erik Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:55:53 +0000 http://snowedin.net/blog/2008/04/07/please-compare/#comment-844 Jonas... not belittling at all... I didn't really consider the guilty plea. You make some good points, but in the end, we're all responsible for <i>outcomes</i>. And if there's injustice in the outcomes, we know there's a problem. It's important to look for reasons in order to change the outcomes, but the reasons don't change the fact that it's a racist, homophobic, classist, sexist system. Jonas… not belittling at all… I didn’t really consider the guilty plea. You make some good points, but in the end, we’re all responsible for outcomes. And if there’s injustice in the outcomes, we know there’s a problem. It’s important to look for reasons in order to change the outcomes, but the reasons don’t change the fact that it’s a racist, homophobic, classist, sexist system.

]]> By: Jonas http://snowedin.net/blog/2008/04/07/please-compare/comment-page-1/#comment-845 Jonas Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:10:06 +0000 http://snowedin.net/blog/2008/04/07/please-compare/#comment-845 Not to belittle your point, but the article says that Berger plead guilty. The women in Buckle took their case to trial. Prosecutors naturally seek higher penalties at trial than they do in a plea bargain because they want to disincentivize trials. Trials are expensive! Moreover, have a look at the list of cities in America with the highest crime rates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate ...St. Louis is pretty far ahead of New York (like, number 2). Prosecutors and judges are probably working overtime just to keep the docket moving. To me, the discrepancy in these cases points to the fact that St. Louis needs a new District Attorney (only seeking 5 years is pathetic), and probably a raft of new criminal judges... ...only 5 years for those crimes is pathetic: http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C500-599/5660000030.HTM (Missouri statute - not the divergence between statute and reality). Not to belittle your point, but the article says that Berger plead guilty. The women in Buckle took their case to trial. Prosecutors naturally seek higher penalties at trial than they do in a plea bargain because they want to disincentivize trials. Trials are expensive!

Moreover, have a look at the list of cities in America with the highest crime rates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate

…St. Louis is pretty far ahead of New York (like, number 2). Prosecutors and judges are probably working overtime just to keep the docket moving.

To me, the discrepancy in these cases points to the fact that St. Louis needs a new District Attorney (only seeking 5 years is pathetic), and probably a raft of new criminal judges… …only 5 years for those crimes is pathetic: http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C500-599/5660000030.HTM

(Missouri statute – not the divergence between statute and reality).

]]>