Currently, prosecutors in both the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems have too much discretion in pressing charges, determining what sentences are sought, and negotiating plea deals. Trial by jury is a key tenant of the American criminal justice system, but heightened prosecutorial power significantly reduces the power and frequency of a trial by peers. Attempts at sentencing reform must address largely unchecked prosecutorial discretion.
"“District attorneys in rural and suburban areas tend to be much more punitively oriented, … with harsh, tough-on-crime rhetoric, and a lot of that follows from the attitude of the people that live in those areas,” Bucklen said. “They’re responding to the people that elected them.”"
Philadelphia Inquirer
June 26, 2018
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