Discrepancies in Criminal Sentencing

Justice is a mere roll of the dice as the saying goes and these few words tend to sum up the popular opinion of so many Americans when it comes to our criminal justice system. While most criminal defense attorneys adamantly disagree with the notion holding fast to the belief that the skill of your defense team dictates all. Certainly there is truth woven in both views in general. While the skill of a defense lawyer is of paramount importance if you are fond of your liberty the simple fact remains that luck or the lack thereof can impact your exposure to severe penalty in the earliest stages of your being prosecuted. Overall, however, the skill of the lawyers involved in any criminal litigation matter can never be overstated.

It hardly seems fair that two people convicted of committing the same type of offense should receive vastly different sentences. Nonetheless, discrepancies in sentencing are very real and ever present, not only in the United States Criminal Justice System, but every system in every country on the planet.

For a detailed discussion regarding the role of chance and the absence of uniformity in Florida criminal sentencing be sure to review the February broadcast lecture on shocking criminal dispositions rendered in the Broward County Criminal Courts as of January 1, 2017.

Excerpt from recent broadcast on criminal sentencing discrepancies and the element of chance as it pertains to the random computer generated assignment of judges to cases following an arrest. (William Moore, Criminal Lawyer/Produced in early 2017.