Too many laws in the U.S defy basic human rights principles of
justice by resorting to overly punitive sentences for nonviolent and
low-level crimes, according to a report published Tuesday by Human Rights Watch.
“Almost
30 years of harsh sentencing laws have left the US with over 2.2
million men and women behind bars, most for nonviolent crimes,” the 36-page report
concludes, pointing to the more than 53 percent of state prison inmates
with sentences of at least a year who are serving time for non-violent
offenses.
“Fair and prudent punishment is not only a core human
rights principle, but a core principle of American justice that has been
neglected for far too long,” Jamie Fellner, co-author of the report and
senior adviser to the U.S. Program at Human Rights Watch, said in a press release
Tuesday. “There is growing national recognition that disproportionately
harsh laws are not needed to protect public safety and to hold
offenders accountable for their crimes. To the contrary, community
well-being is best served by fair laws and just sentences.”
Read on...
Your resource for news, research, opinion and comment in the world of Criminology and Criminal Justice, brought to you by the Criminology Library, Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto
No comments:
Post a Comment