smartwriter only-2 responses to classmates

American Corrections:  Respond to 2 of your fellow classmates with at least a 100-word reply about their Primary Task Response regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following questions:

•What did you learn from your classmate’s posting?

•What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?

•What clarification do you need regarding the posting?

•What differences or similarities do you see between your posting and other classmates’ postings?

**** NO TITLE PAGE, JUST A 100+ word response to 1 classmates’ post, AND then to another classmates’ post. Both responses can be on the same page-I will separate them before submission

American Corrections

:
Respond to 2 of your fellow classmates with at least a 100-word reply about their Primary Task Response regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following questions:

•What did you learn from your classmate’s posting?

•What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?

•What clarification do you need regarding the posting?

•What differences or similarities do you see between your posting and other classmates’ postings?

**** NO TITLE PAGE, JUST A RESPONSE TO V’Aires AND ANOTHER RESPONSE TO ALISHA. Both responses can be on the same page-I will separate them before submission

Primary Task Responses

(My Post to compare to each of the others)

Indeterminate sentencing is a legal term that is used to refer to the prison term that is imposed to a convicted criminal after conviction for a crime that does not specifically mention the period of time, or the time they shall be released, but only gives a range of time, like three to eight years. It does not give definite time duration. However determinate sentencing, there is a fixed term that is imposed though an inmate who is sentence through the determinate sentencing system can be released earlier because of good time credits or even overcrowding. This system denies the judges the power to rule or decide over the length of period, and it rules out the possibility of probation or alternative prison (Tonry, 2000).

Disparate or dissimilar means something or people that are not similar. Dissimilar sentencing applies to people or a group of people who do things that are not similar to those acts of other people in the society. Dissimilar occurs because it creates a mentality that people are not similar and equal for example from issues such as ideologies that men area always treated better than women in their respective work places. This ideologies end up causing or bringing up disparate sentencing (Michael, 2011).

Crack cocaine sentences have been harsher than those of the powder cocaine have over a long period of time. The federal government decided to solve the problem by implementing severe prison sentences to people caught trafficking or dealing with crack cocaine. This was due to the disparity that had begun in the 1980’s when the crackdown of cocaine started to ravish the urban black (Morris, 2011).I do not consider their decision to be ethical since by only posing a harsh punishment and sentence to the crack cocaine only will lead to the rise of users and traffickers of the powder cocaine. After all, both drugs are illegal and severe punishments should be subdued to all those who break the law by engaging in the use of this drug. I would address the issue of disparate sentencing differently. First people have to learn and appreciate other people in the society so as to remove and eliminate the mentality and ideology that men are superior to women and any form of injustice or biasness to one part of a community. All forms of biasness in the society should be eliminated so as to have a justified society with focused people, for the development of the state, and where justice roams across all fields. The guidelines are there to make sure that the rule of law is administered and justice is served. They help in guiding the judges in deciding on what punishment and the kind of sentencing to use depending on the case of the offender. They are also there to ensure that the wrongs that were done are corrected and that the convicted people are corrected.

Post by V’Aires

In indeterminate sentencing, the criminal’s sentence is in a time frame of one amount of time to another such as 10-15 years. The minimum time is normally set by the legislature. When the minimum time of the sentence is reached, the case of that criminal will go to the parole board to get the date of release. Determinate sentencing is when the criminal serve the full amount of time specified. The criminal can attempt to reduce the sentence, but it wouldn’t make that much of a big difference.

Disparate sentencing is when a criminal commits the same crime as another, but don’t receive the same sentence. I hate that. Almost the same thing happened with my grandfather. I see it all the time when celebrities do all kinds of things and get off easy. A lot of times, it be for the same reasons. With dissimilar sentencing, the offender often tries to make a deal to get off as easy as possible, or have the charges dropped, even if it means giving up someone else.

Post by Alisha

Indeterminate sentencing and determinate sentencing is simple. The meaning of determinate sentencing is a jail or prison sentencing with no ability of change. (Indeterminate vs. determinate, 2013) A great example of that is with Lindsay Lohan, she was sentenced in 2011 to 30 days in jail. (Anthony McCartney, 2011) It is a determinate sentence because a parole board or anyone else could change the sentence. Then there is indeterminate sentencing, which is when a sentence is a range of time. (Indeterminate vs. determinate, 2013) A good example of this is when Jason Zwick was sentenced 50 years to life in prison. (Associated Press, 2013) The sentence of 50 to life means that he will spend no less than 50 years in prison and the release date is not determined. That is determinate sentence. The parole board can decide after 50 years if Jason will be eligible for parole and when.

Crack cocaine is the concentrated form of powder cocaine. Therefore, it is considered a 1:100 ratio. What that means is that for every 1 gram of crack cocaine it is equal to 100 grams of powder cocaine. The U.S. guidelines for sentencing therefore gives a harsher sentencing for crack cocaine then powder cocaine. (Edward Marinovick, 2005) I feel this is perfectly fine. Doing 1 gram of crack no matter what way is like doing 100 grams of powder cocaine at one time. I am glad the punishment is harder.

I feel difference in sentencing for the same crime happens depending on the person. For example, if the person is a first time offender they may be looked at differently and given a less of a sentence. Or on the other hand if the crime itself is just so unbelievably horrible I can understand the difference in punishments. For example, someone may murder a man for his money with a simple gunshot but someone else may murder a man for his money by stalking him, torturing him and using overkill in the murder. In that case yes I feel the sentencing should be harder.

I think sentencing guidelines should be looked at and taken into consideration for each individual but it should also be based on the nature of the crime for dissimilar sentencing.