Interesting analysis. I think a conviction was the right decision, but also think a 20 year prison sentence should be the max for any crime. Beyond 20 years for the most serious crimes it becomes about retribution and revenge rather than justice, which is why prison reform is so hard. Many Americans love to incarcerate their perceived enemies and "the longer the the better" gives them that 5 second dopamine bump they crave so much. That the length of the prison time will do nothing to bring back George Floyd or help his family is usually an irrelevant point. There's little room for thinking about victims when there's retribution to be had.
The question is, what do we consider the most series crime? For most it's murder, rape, or child abuse. For a judge and prosecutor the most heinous crime is demanding your 5th amendment right to a jury trial instead of the plea deal. Based on that, prosecutors and judges generally hand out of the harshest penalties not based on the underlying crime, but what they consider the real crime of challenging their authority.
For such people stacked charges and the demand for the maximum and harshest penalty with stacked charges is the rule. Derek Chauvin was a former member of the club, however, and elephants all hate elephant hunters. Expect a much lower sentence for Mr. Chauvin than if anyone from the unwashed masses failed to prove their innocence at trial.
Assuming his time served will be in solitary for his own protection, does the judge get to consider that? Would cause distress if his sentence was reduced for that or any other reason.
Well because otherwise it is pretty much a death sentence. You are right that Floyd did not get the protection he deserved in society, but it is the very fact that we are attempting to preserve a civilised society that we should treat murderers like Chauvin in a civilised manner.
I agree, but this one is automatic. Like with everything else at every step of the criminal industrial complex, better treatment for those who are/were part of the system is baked in.
Which raises the question, what should we think of a group who run a system they believe is so horrendous that they need to create an entirely separate track for themselves on the outside chance things go wrong for them?
File under those who run the criminal system who experience it come to the conclusion that when it comes to them the system is inhumane.
Interesting analysis. I think a conviction was the right decision, but also think a 20 year prison sentence should be the max for any crime. Beyond 20 years for the most serious crimes it becomes about retribution and revenge rather than justice, which is why prison reform is so hard. Many Americans love to incarcerate their perceived enemies and "the longer the the better" gives them that 5 second dopamine bump they crave so much. That the length of the prison time will do nothing to bring back George Floyd or help his family is usually an irrelevant point. There's little room for thinking about victims when there's retribution to be had.
The question is, what do we consider the most series crime? For most it's murder, rape, or child abuse. For a judge and prosecutor the most heinous crime is demanding your 5th amendment right to a jury trial instead of the plea deal. Based on that, prosecutors and judges generally hand out of the harshest penalties not based on the underlying crime, but what they consider the real crime of challenging their authority.
For such people stacked charges and the demand for the maximum and harshest penalty with stacked charges is the rule. Derek Chauvin was a former member of the club, however, and elephants all hate elephant hunters. Expect a much lower sentence for Mr. Chauvin than if anyone from the unwashed masses failed to prove their innocence at trial.
Assuming his time served will be in solitary for his own protection, does the judge get to consider that? Would cause distress if his sentence was reduced for that or any other reason.
Why should he get protection in jail? Did Floyd get protection out of jail?
Well because otherwise it is pretty much a death sentence. You are right that Floyd did not get the protection he deserved in society, but it is the very fact that we are attempting to preserve a civilised society that we should treat murderers like Chauvin in a civilised manner.
I agree, but this one is automatic. Like with everything else at every step of the criminal industrial complex, better treatment for those who are/were part of the system is baked in.
Which raises the question, what should we think of a group who run a system they believe is so horrendous that they need to create an entirely separate track for themselves on the outside chance things go wrong for them?
File under those who run the criminal system who experience it come to the conclusion that when it comes to them the system is inhumane.