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individual defendant, and minimize the negative impact of minimum sentencing laws without inherently needing those laws repealed.
“Judges are entrusted to provide equal justice and protect the rights of all people. In criminal prosecutions, where the stakes are highest, that includes upholding due process and giving full meaning to the presumption of innocence. Under SB 10, it is judges who now, more than ever, must ensure that California’s pretrial justice system lives up to these ideals.“
Sacramento Bee
September 25, 2018
Read More"Perhaps it should not be surprising that the Judicial Council, which initially was a major opponent of bail reform, now supports the new bill, since it gives unprecedented power to judges. Rather than relying on a risk assessment tool, judges would have the power to detain people based on their subjective determination."
The Sacramento Bee
August 13, 2018
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