纽约时报英文版自己整理的.docx

纽约时报英文版自己整理的.docx

《纽约时报英文版自己整理的.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《纽约时报英文版自己整理的.docx（35页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

纽约时报英文版自己整理的

SentencingShiftGivesNewLeveragetoProsecutors

GAINESVILLE,Fla.—Afterdecadesofnewlawstotoughensentencingforcriminals,prosecutorshavegainedgreaterleveragetoextractguiltypleasfromdefendantsandreducethenumberofcasesthatgototrial,oftenbyusingthethreatofmoreseriouschargeswithmandatorysentencesorotherharsherpenalties

Someexpertssaytheprocesshasbecomecoerciveinmanystateandfederaljurisdictions,forcingdefendantstoweightheiroptionsbasedontherelativerisksoffacingajudgeandjuryratherthansimplemattersofguiltorinnocence.Ineffect,prosecutorsaregivingdefendantsmorereasonstoavoidhavingtheirdayincourt.

“Wenowhaveanincredibleconcentrationofpowerinthehandsofprosecutors,”saidRichardE.MyersII,aformerassistantUnitedStatesattorneywhoisnowanassociateprofessoroflawattheUniversityofNorthCarolina.Hesaidthatsomuchinfluencenowresideswithprosecutorsthat“inthewronghands,thecriminaljusticesystemcanbeheldhostage.”

Onecrucial,ifunheralded,effectofthisshiftisnowcomingintosharperview,accordingtoacademicswhostudytheissue.Growingprosecutorialpowerisasignificantreasonthatthepercentageoffelonycasesthatgototrialhasdroppedsharplyinmanyplaces.

Pleabargainshavebeencommonformorethanacentury,butlatelytheyhavebeguntoputthetrialsystemoutofbusinessinsomecourtrooms.Byonecount,fewerthanonein40felonycasesnowmakeittotrial,accordingtodatafromninestatesthathavepublishedsuchrecordssincethe1970s,whentheratiowasaboutonein12.Thedeclinehasbeenevensteeperinfederaldistrictcourts.

CaseslikeFloridav.ShaneGuthriehelpexplainwhy.AfterMr.Guthrie,24,wasarrestedherelastyear,accusedofbeatinghisgirlfriendandthreateningherwithaknife,theprosecutorofferedhimadealfortwoyearsinprisonplusprobation.

Mr.Guthrierejectedthat,andalaterofferoffiveyears,becausehebelievedthathewasnotguilty,hislawyersaid.Buttheprosecutor’sresponsewassevere:

hefiledamoreseriouschargethatwouldmeanlifeimprisonmentifMr.Guthrieisconvictedlaterthisyear.

Becauseofastatelawthatincreasedpunishmentsforpeoplewhohadrecentlybeeninprison,likeMr.Guthrie,thesentencewouldbemandatory.Sowhathecouldhaveresolvedforatwo-yeartermcouldkeephimlockedupfor50yearsormore.

Thedecreaseintrialshasalsobeenaconsequenceofunderfinancedpublicdefenselawyerswhocantryonlyahandfuloftheircases,aswellas,prosecutorssay,theriseofdrugcourtsandotheralternativeresolutions.

Theoverloadedcourtsystemhasalsoseencomparativelylittleexpansioninmanyplaces,makingahugeincreaseinpleabargainsacheapandeasywaytohandleanear-triplinginfelonycasesoverthepastgeneration.

Butmanyresearcherssaythemostimportantforceindrivingdownthetrialratehasbeenstateandfederallegislativeoverhaulsthatimposedmandatorysentencesandotherharsherandmorecertainpenaltiesformanyfelonies,especiallythoseinvolvingguns,drugs,violentcrimesandrepeatoffenders.

Stifferpunishmentswerealsoputinplaceforspecificcrimes,likepeddlingdrugsnearaschoolorwearingamaskincertaincircumstances.Andlegislatorsaddedreamsofnewfelonystatutes,vastlyexpandingtherangeofactionsconsideredillegal.

Thesetougherpenalties,bymanyaccounts,havecontributedtothenation’ssteepdropincrimethepasttwodecades.Theyhavealsoswelledtheprisonpopulationtolevelsthatlawmakersinsomestatessaytheycannolongerafford,andafewhaverolledbacksomelaws.

The‘TrialPenalty’

Inthecourtroomandduringpleanegotiations,theimpactofthesestricterlawsisexertedthroughwhatacademicscallthe“trialpenalty.”Thephrasereferstothefactthatthesentencesforpeoplewhogototrialhavegrownharsherrelativetosentencesforthosewhoagreetoaplea.

Insomejurisdictions,thisgaphaswidenedsomuchithasbecomecoerciveandisusedtopunishdefendantsforexercisingtheirrighttotrial,somelegalexpertssay.

“Legislatorswanttomakeiteasyforprosecutorstogettheconvictionwithouthavingtogototrial,”saidRachelBarkow,aprofessoroflawatNewYorkUniversitywhostudieshowprosecutorsusetheirpower.“Andprosecutorswhoarestarvedforresourceswanttousethatleverage.Andsonoweveryoneactswiththeassumptionthatthecaseshouldendwithaplea.”

“Whenyouhavethatattitude,”shesaid,“youpenalizepeoplewhohavethenervetogototrial.”

Prosecutorssaytheyaregivingdefendantsoptionsandaremerelychargingthembasedonwhatisallowedunderthelawforthosewhoturndownpleas.

Whilelegalexpertssaytheeffectisclearinpersuadingmoredefendantstoforgotrials,thetrialpenaltyishardtoquantifywithoutexaminingindividualcasesandnegotiationsbetweenprosecutorsanddefenselawyers.

Thatisbecausethreatsofharsherchargesagainstdefendantswhorejectpleadealsoftenarethemostinfluentialfactorintheoutcomeofacase,butthisinterplayisneverreflectedinofficialdata.

“Howmanytimesisamandatorysentenceusedasachipinordertocoerceaplea?

Theydon’tkeeprecords,”saidSeniorJudgeJohnL.KaneJr.ofUnitedStatesDistrictCourtinDenver,whobelievesthatprosecutorshavegrownmorepowerfulthanjudges.Butitisverycommon,headded.“That’swhatthepublicdoesn’tsee,andwherethestatisticsbecomemeaningless.”

Butoneresultisobvious,hesaid:

“Wehardlyhavetrialsanymore.”

In1977,theyearJudgeKanewasappointedtothebench,theratioofguiltypleastocriminaltrialverdictsinfederaldistrictcourtswasalittlemorethanfourtoone;bylastyear,itwasalmost32toone.

HereinFlorida,whichhasgreatlytoughenedsentencingsincethe1990s,felonydefendantswhooptfortrialnowroutinelyfacetheprospectofhigherchargesthatmeanprisonterms2,5,oreven20timesaslongasiftheyhadpleadedguilty.Inmanycases,theprocessisreversed,andstifferchargesaredismissedinreturnforaplea.

Beforenewsentencinglaws,thegapwasnarrower,andtrialslessrisky,veteranlawyersheresay.ThefirstthingDenisdeVlaming,aprominentFloridacriminaldefenselawyer,doeswithanewclientispulloutacalculatortotallyalltheadditionalpunishmentstheprosecutorcanaddtofigurethelikelysentenceiftheclientisconvictedattrial.

“TheythinkI’mreadytochargethemafee,butI’mnot,”hesaid.“ItelltheminFlorida,it’sjusticebymathematics.”

Nomatterhowstronglydefendantsbelievetheyareinnocent,hesaid,theycouldbetakingdangerousrisksby,forexample,turningdownaone-yearpleabargainwhentheprosecutorthreatensadditionalchargesthatcarryamandatorysentence10timesaslong.

APowerShift

Thetransferofpowertoprosecutorsfromjudgeshasbeensoprofoundthatanimportanttrialritualhasbecomeinsomemeasurealie,Mr.deVlamingsaid—theinstructionsjudgesreadstatingthatthejurydeterminesguiltorinnocence,andthejudgeapropersentence.Thelatterpartisnolongertruewhenmandatoryminimumsand,inmanycases,sentencingguidelinesapply,butjurorsoftendonotknowthat.

LegalscholarslikePaulCassell,aconservativeformerfederaljudgeandprosecutorwhoisnowalawprofessorattheUniversityofUtah,describethepowershiftasazero-sumgame.

“Judgeshavelostdiscretion,andthatdiscretionhasaccumulatedinthehandsofprosecutors,whonowhavetheultimateabilitytoshapetheoutcome,”Mr.Cassellsaid.“Withmandatoryminimumsandothersentencingenhancementsoutthere,prosecutorscanoftendictatethesentencethatwillbeimposed.”

Withoutquestion,pleabargainsbenefitmanydefendantswhohavecommittedcrimesandreceivelightersentencesthantheymightaftertrial.Italsolimitscasesthatrequireconsiderabletimeandexpenseincourt.

Butmanydefendantswhooptfortrialeffectivelyfacemoreprisontimeforrejectingapleathanforcommittingtheallegedcrime.

InMr.Guthrie’scase,hewasinitiallychargedwithaggravatedbatteryonapregnantwomanandfalseimprisonment.Butafterherejectedthepleabargains,theprosecutor,morethanayearlater,filedthemoreseriouschargeoffirst-degreefelonykidnapping,basedonthegirlfriend’saccusationthathepulledherbythearminsideherhomeand,onceoutside,grabbedherhairandpulledheronherfeetthedistanceofseveralparkingspaces.

NobodyissuggestingthatMr.Guthrie,previouslyincarceratedfor18monthsongun,assaultanddrugcharges,isasympatheticfigure.Accordingtoapolicereport,hepunchedandkickedhisgirlfriend,leftherwithabruisedandbloodynoseandafacethat“appearedtobeswollen,”andthreatenedtocutherstomachwithaknife.

Theassistantstateattorneyhandlingthecase,FrankSlavichak,didnotreturncalls.Thechiefinvestigatorfortheoffice,SpencerMann,saidMr.Guthrie’schoicesdictatedthecourseofthecase.

Buthislawyer,CraigDeThomasis,hiredaftertheplearejections,saidhewas“plainlybeingpunishedforexercisinghisrighttotrial.”AccordingtoMr.Guthrie’smother,ClaudiaGuthrie,theprosecutortoldhersonatahearingthisspringthatifhedidnotpleadguiltyandtakeafive-yearsentence,higherchargeswouldbefiledthatmean“you’regoingtogetlife.”Mr.Manndidnotdisputethatsomesortofwarningofnewchargeswaspresented.

Mr.DeThomasissaidthattherewasnoevidencethegirlfriendwaspregnant,andthatshestartedthealtercationbyhittinghimintheforeheadwithapipe,landinghiminthejailinfirmaryforaweek.He