The Student Room Group

Why is the American Judiciary System so flawed?

In comparison to the UK the sentencing guidelines in the US are so extreme.

I just read an article about a young woman having her brother sentenced for 30 years for being a driver for a robbery at the local store, no weapons included. Thats more than a life sentence here for murder. Not saying that the act is justified, a crime is a crime and joint enterprise is joint enterprise but where did 30 years come from? I'm sure there are some judges in America that have given less time to a murderer.

Are the judges over there even following sentencing guidelines or do they just give whatever sentence they please when it suits them?

By the way, the family appealed and the young man got 15 years. Personally, I don't see a correlation between the time and the crime. Especially when there's rapists and murders getting less than that.
In America prisoners are farmed out to work for less than minimum wage, there is an added incentive to have people put inside there.
Reply 2
tbh i don't know but I'm happy i don't live there.
Reply 3
Devil's advocate, but who says it's the American system that's flawed? Could just add easily be ours. You could ask why are ours so lenient.
Because It's America and America are F**king stupid.
Reply 5
Original post by Drewski
Devil's advocate, but who says it's the American system that's flawed? Could just add easily be ours. You could ask why are ours so lenient.


How can a getaway driver get more time than a rapist or murder? If that isn't flawed, I wouldn't know what is really.
Better than the Brussels bureaucrats
Original post by KingKoala
Because It's America and America are F**king stupid.


Terrific explanation

Top notch reasoning right there.
Original post by Student403
Terrific explanation

Top notch reasoning right there.


How can you respect people who have allowed for trump this far, and still don't have accessible/free health care for all, despite being the largest economy in the world. Capitalist morons.
Original post by KingKoala
How can you respect people who have allowed for trump this far, and still don't have accessible/free health care for all, despite being the largest economy in the world. Capitalist morons.


It might surprise you to know that not all of America is like that :smile:
Original post by Student403
It might surprise you to know that not all of America is like that :smile:


This guy would have been pulled out of the election race in any other nation, some of the stuff he has said is bordering on Hitler. I am aware that not all of America is like that but, they could do a lot more to change things, why are they not doing more to get a free health care system. I can't stand them anyway, sorry for ranting.
Reply 11
Americans are allowed to take the law into their own hands meaning each sentence can vary upon jury, judge or how good your lawyer is which allows room for supremacy, racism, discrimination, etc. Here in the UK we're upheld by the law with our judges, jury and lawyers, no supremacy, we decide sentences based on similar accusations not on a case by case basis, not even our Supreme Court can up hold the law, it's subject to and must comply with the law. It's Something like that
Reply 12
Original post by Drewski
Devil's advocate, but who says it's the American system that's flawed? Could just add easily be ours. You could ask why are ours so lenient.


Probably because our judiciary usually takes into account external factors like how having a poor schooling background meant they weren't educated to understand right from wrong, or something like that, the point is ours generally absolves responsibility from the individual.
Reply 13
Btw let's keep politics out of this thread. As flawed as the American system is in most aspects, this thread is specifically for judiciary and I can assure you there is more than plenty of flaws on this topic
Our system is less punitive and American judges are incentivized to incarcerate by the private prison companies. The prisoners provide a cheap labour force.

Quick Reply

Latest