Pennsylvania — Judges — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Judges

Defendants are regularly condemned to years, decades, or life in prison for minor infractions because of minimum sentencing statutes. If judges had more discretion in sentencing, then sentences could be more proportional to the crime, more specific to the individual defendant, and minimize the negative impact of minimum sentencing laws without inherently needing those laws repealed.

Racial disparities plague Pennsylvania’s life-without-parole system — but can it be fixed?

“Over the past year, Street, a Democrat from North Philadelphia, has been telling anyone who will listen that a change is overdue. Pennsylvania's murder rate ranks 25th in the nation. Yet, courts in the state sentence people to life without parole at a rate that's among the highest in the country, and more than double the national average. Street introduced a bill last year that would allow lifers to be considered for parole after 15 years — a move that would make 64 percent of lifers eligible for that consideration.“

Philadelphia Inquirer

September 18, 2018

SentencingPhillip ReevesSeptember 19, 2018Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, Life without paroleComment

Just How Transparent Can a Criminal Justice Algorithm Be?

"Algorithms that make predictions about future behavior based on factors such as a person’s age and criminal history are increasingly used—and increasingly controversial—in criminal justice decision-making. One of the big objections to the use of such algorithms is that they sometimes operate out of the public’s view."

Slate

July 3, 2018

Sentencing, JudgesAnthony BradleyJuly 27, 2018Slate, Pennsylvania, Risk Assessment

Judges

Galsworthy CJR Program

Info