Arizona debates required prison time in non-violent cases

On behalf of Law Office of Rachelle S. Ferraro posted in DUI on Tuesday, May 24, 2011

In previous posts, we have likely written about sentencing in Arizona criminal cases and how there are set minimum sentencing guidelines that guide the legal process. A recent report highlights how minimum sentencing hasn't always been around, and now, facing a budget crisis, Arizona lawmakers are debating the system's effectiveness.

There are more dangerous criminal offenders than others. A DUI offender, for example, is not as threatening as someone who has repeatedly committed violent offenses. Certain lawmakers in the state believe that money can be saved and offenders better rehabilitated if mandatory sentencing guidelines were changed for non-violent offenders.

According to reports, the federal government moved forward with implementing minimum sentencing for some crimes in the 1980s as a way to sort of streamline and make fair the way that offenders' cases were treated throughout the country. Arizona's system is guided by the federal rules but, like other states, has its own state sentencing guidelines that the federal regulations don't address.

Those who support the minimum sentencing guidelines argue that Arizona's crime rate has gone down as a result of the sentencing system, which is worth the cost. Those who oppose the minimum prison sentences for non-violent offenders contend that the estimated $949 million spent on the Arizona Department of Corrections last year alone, for example, could be more effectively used........
Read more : http://www.phoenixazcriminaldefenselawyer.com/2011/05/part-1-arizona-debates-required-prison-time-in-non-violent-cases.shtml