US prison sentences are ridiculously long in general.
In principle the key word is supposed to be "up to", the judge is supposed to use their discretion.
In practice, it's used as a lever to force plea deals. If you waste the government's time and money with a trial, you probably still won't win, but now you will be doing up to 20 years. Sign here and spare us the trial and you'll get 5 years.
Of course then you have the people who are truly innocent but are forced to plea out anyway at threat of spending a significant chunk of their lives in jail...
There is also the view that extreme prison sentences are supposed to be a deterrent and thus are unfair by nature. If know you are at risk of spending 20 years in jail, you won't do the crime. Of course in many cases criminals do not really consider the risk of getting caught, and likely wouldn't know the exact penalties for a given crime anyway...
American tax payers stand to save a lot of money by adopting the Scandinavian model for their prison system, particularly because of the use of much shorter sentences, and heavier use of fines (a lash to the pocket is often a far better deterrent than a long prison sentence). This opens up for better rehabilitation, and much less recidivism. In turn that means shorter queues which means a clear cut in the expenses needed to maintain all those prisons. In the end, it's a win-win for the state, tax payers and the prison inmates themselves. Only prison wardens would disapprove. ;)
> There is also the view that extreme prison sentences are supposed to be a deterrent and thus are unfair by nature. If know you are at risk of spending 20 years in jail, you won't do the crime. Of course in many cases criminals do not really consider the risk of getting caught, and likely wouldn't know the exact penalties for a given crime anyway...
I'm pretty sure it has been proven multiple times over that harsher sentences don't reduce crime. They serve just as retribution.
The prison industry is huge. The prison guard union even lobbied against decriminalization, it is nuts. Most every jail releases inmates right after midnight so they can charge the state for a full extra day. It is a business.
In principle the key word is supposed to be "up to", the judge is supposed to use their discretion.
In practice, it's used as a lever to force plea deals. If you waste the government's time and money with a trial, you probably still won't win, but now you will be doing up to 20 years. Sign here and spare us the trial and you'll get 5 years.
Of course then you have the people who are truly innocent but are forced to plea out anyway at threat of spending a significant chunk of their lives in jail...
There is also the view that extreme prison sentences are supposed to be a deterrent and thus are unfair by nature. If know you are at risk of spending 20 years in jail, you won't do the crime. Of course in many cases criminals do not really consider the risk of getting caught, and likely wouldn't know the exact penalties for a given crime anyway...