CRM/LAW C103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: People V. Turner, Mandatory Sentencing, Social Inequality
28 Sep 2016
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Group themes: discretion, how the officials who carry out the law interpret the law. a. i. To ensure that sentencing was sufficiently harsh. a. ii. What role do rules play in our legal system: the police have too much discretion b. i. One problem with our legal system is that mandatory sentencing laws make it impossible for judges to tailor sentences to particular characteristics of the defendant c. i. 2016: 72% agree, 28% disagree: the main thing that determines the outcome of a legal case is the law in question d. i. Circumstances can determine the outcome of a legal case the facts of the crime, etc d. iii. The judge can be the ultimate determination of the outcome of a legal case his discretion, his viewpoints, his opinion : law is a neutral tool, outside of the sphere in which biases can influence outcomes e. i. Military system, international law, uci code of conduct. Inequality: in the united states, everyone is equal before the law a. i.
