Prosecutor Mercy

IF 0.4 Q2 Social Sciences
Lee B. Kovarsky
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The tailwinds might be behind criminal justice reform, but American mercy power remains locked in a sputtering clemency model. Centralized leadership should be braver or the centralized institutions should be streamlined, the arguments go—but what if the more basic mercy problem is centralization itself? In this essay, I explore that question. In so doing, I defend the normative premise that post-conviction mercy is justified, and I address the questions of institutional design and political economy that follow. I ultimately encourage jurisdictions to layer decentralized mercy powers on top of their clemency mechanisms, and for the newer authority to be vested in local prosecutors. I present less a single proposal than a collection of principles for mercy decentralization. Governors and presidents simply cannot deliver the punishment remissions appropriate for an American prison population bloated by a half-century love affair with over-criminalization, mandatory minimums, and recidivism enhancements.
检察官的慈爱
刑事司法改革背后可能有顺风,但美国的仁慈力量仍被锁定在一个断断续续的仁慈模式中。他们认为,中央领导应该更勇敢,或者中央机构应该精简——但如果更基本的仁慈问题是中央集权本身呢?在本文中,我将探讨这个问题。在这样做的过程中,我捍卫了定罪后宽恕是合理的这一规范性前提,并解决了随之而来的制度设计和政治经济学问题。我最终鼓励司法管辖区将分散的宽恕权置于其宽恕机制之上,并将新的权力赋予地方检察官。我提出的不是一个单一的建议,而是一系列慈悲去中心化的原则。由于半个世纪以来过度定罪、强制性最低刑期和累犯率的提高,美国监狱人口膨胀,州长和总统根本无法减轻对囚犯的惩罚。
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来源期刊
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期刊介绍: Focused on examinations of crime and punishment in domestic, transnational, and international contexts, New Criminal Law Review provides timely, innovative commentary and in-depth scholarly analyses on a wide range of criminal law topics. The journal encourages a variety of methodological and theoretical approaches and is a crucial resource for criminal law professionals in both academia and the criminal justice system. The journal publishes thematic forum sections and special issues, full-length peer-reviewed articles, book reviews, and occasional correspondence.
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