Paul Cassell, Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, was quoted in The New York Times on September 26 in an article titled “Sentencing Shift Gives New Leverage to Prosecutors.”
The article analyzes how the imposition of mandatory minimum sentences and “other harsher and more certain penalties for many felonies” has resulted in a shift of power from judges to prosecutors. It also examines the implications of this power shift.
“Judges have lost discretion, and that discretion has accumulated in the hands of prosecutors, who now have the ultimate ability to shape the outcome,” Cassell told The Times. “With mandatory minimums and other sentencing enhancements out there, prosecutors can often dictate the sentence that will be imposed.”
To read the article, click here.