Every person that has operated a vehicle before, or has seen a vehicle operated, understands that while driving is a very convenient mode of transportation, it can also be extremely dangerous for vehicle operators and people near the roads which vehicles are operated on. These dangers are suppressed by the rules and regulations imposed by our governments. While some laws on roadways seem to be a nuisance to drivers, they are there for a reason, to keep us safe. One specific roadway area that the government is very concerned with keeping safe would be construction zones. Currently the fines and punishments for drivers who are ticketed and/or are involved in accidents in work zones are higher than they are in regular roadway areas. The question that this essay will explore is whether or not these higher fines are appropriate. Traffic laws are the jurisdiction of the state governments and because of this the laws imposed in work zones vary between each state. Currently in Michigan all fines for speeding are doubled in work zones. Speeding in Michigan’s work zones can also result in increased points on your license. Furthermore, if you injure or kill a worker in a work zone in Michigan you face a $7,500 fine and 15 years in prison. About 32 other states also enforce the double fine laws in work zones, but 24 states with these laws require workers to be present. Missouri enforces one of the steepest penalties for worker endangerment, including up to a $10,000 fine. While these
Each year numerous lives are lost due to careless and irrational driving. The disregard for safe driving has been a predicament to the United States of America for years. Many years Police have relied heavily on speed cameras, breathalyzer tests and heavy fines as a deterrent against unlawful drivers. Over the years fatality rates have increased, so the Department of Transportation and Highway Safety has composed a series of safe driving campaigns. On many occasions the Transportation Department informs and advises the public about the importance of responsible driving. They propagate safe driving through the various channels of the media and
Current mandatory minimum sentencing laws are in dire need of reform. A mandatory minimum sentence is a court decision where judicial discretion is limited by law. As a result, there are irrevocable prison terms of a specific length for people convicted of particular federal and state crimes. As of January 2014, more than 50 percent of inmates in federal prisons are serving time for drug offenses, and more than 60 percent of people incarcerated are racial and ethnic minorities. The use of safety valves and implementation of the Fair Sentencing Act are a few methods Congress employed to combat racial disparity in prisons. Mandatory minimum sentencing harshly punishes non-violent offenders, disproportionately affects minorities, and skews the balance of power between judges and prosecutors.
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The establishment of mandatory minimum sentencing laws has been a policy blunder since their proliferation in the 1980s. Mandatory minimum laws are negatively affecting the U.S, economically and socially. These laws effectively strip judges of their ability to adjudicate a fair punishment by setting a minimum sentence and handing their discretion over to prosecutors. A number of individuals and their families have been negatively affected by mandatory minimum penalties, however, there are others indirectly affected by these policies. The U.S. taxpayer has to foot the bill for these inmates, all while knowing that prison recidivism rates are tremendously high. These laws are contributing to the over-federalization of crimes by interfering with the state criminal justice system. The abolishment or reform of the federal mandatory minimums is needed to end the social and economic damage these laws have caused.
Common crimes in the judicial system include drug offenses, firearm offenses, and sexual assault, and the depending on the judge the repercussions could vary. To have unvaried penalties, mandatory minimum sentencing laws were enacted. These laws help keep citizens protected, while criminals are incarcerated. John Oliver, the host of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, talks about how mandatory minimum sentencing increases the number of criminals incarcerated, and he believes the length of their prison time is longer than it should be. He shows videos of criminals who were convicted under the mandatory minimum law with drug crimes. These videos explain how this law affected each of these individuals and their families, and some were sentenced to life in prison for their crimes. Oliver states, “Mandatory minimum sentencing laws designed to stop [drug crimes] have done way more harm than good (Oliver).” Although Oliver believes mandatory minimums are damagining, it was an illegal action that put those criminals in jail. Without breaking the law, they would have a free life. Removing mandatory minimum sentencing on drug offenses from the judicial system is unethical. It is necessary in the judicial system, because the safety of citizens is in the hands of judges. With drug crimes that are reoccurring in the court system, mandatory minimums enable judges to give sentences to criminals without sympathy interfering with the penalty deserved. Along with this, it keeps criminals off
Ben Whishaw once said, "The criminal justice system, like any system designed by human beings, clearly has its flaws." For many years, the criminal justice system has been criticized for its many problems and errors; one in particular that caught my attention was the mandatory minimum sentencing laws. These laws basically set minimum sentences for certain crimes that judges cannot lower, even for extenuating circumstances. The most common of these laws deal with drug offenses and set mandatory minimum sentences for possession of a drug over a certain amount. Sentencing procedures can vary from jurisdiction to Jurisdiction. Most of these laws are ineffective and causes unnecessary jail overcrowding.
Unnecessary rules and regulations is what have become of the required minimum sentencing laws. Laws that are put intact so that Congress might have control over what happens with a convict in the judiciary court system. It is essential that these laws are dealt away with; they are creating greater harms than benefits for the public. They are costing the American people from their money, abstinence from their families, and to some extent even rights as U.S. citizens. The United States Congress should repeal mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
The court system is an organization in order to provide swift and accurate judgement to the public. When an individual commits a crime they are summoned to appear before a judge. The judge is the individual who will determine their fines, jail time and the overall outcome of a case. This paper will discuss mandatory minimum sentences and sentencing guidelines.
A dangerous habit is developing here in Florida and its practicing is spreading rapidly. Florida is doing and practicing to prevent distraction driving. But, Florida is not doing enough to prevent the distraction driving accident’s. Distraction driving is affecting everyone and specially our young’s ones. So, in order to prevent distraction driving accident’s, is to in force the laws more and increased the paying fees more. That, at least will lower the distraction driving accident’s in our state of Florida. So, remember our state of Florida is already doing and practicing to prevent distracting driving, but Florida is not doing enough to prevent it.
The state of Nebraska like other states have put in place curtain laws to keep its citizens safe from harm. Now, no system is flawless in its course so it is necessary that change occurs so that the system can become better. Nebraska’s driving laws and cell phone usage is one law that most definitely needs to be stricter so that the roads will become safer for all drivers. According to the chart from Nebraska Department of Roads it clear that in a span of 10 years in each category there has been an increase of accidents reported to due to distracted drivers. Among the findings mobile phone usage was taken in account in these finds (Nebraska Drivers Involved in Distracted* Driving Crashes). Since
Federal statutory mandatory minimum penalties have existed since the early days of the nation,1 and they have continually evolved in the centuries since. As policy views have shifted over time, Congress2 and many others3 have continued to examine the role and scope of these mandatory minimum penalties in the federal criminal system.4 For more than thirty years, the United States Sentencing Commission (“the Commission”)5 has played a central role in this process, working with the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government and other interested parties to ensure that sentencing policy promotes the goals of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 (“SRA”).6 Consistent with its statutory role,7 the Commission has continued to inform the
Hello Albert, thank you, for your delightfully informative post. There are many offenses that should not have minimum sentences which would relieve the overcrowding problems today’s prisons currently face. A lot of these non-violent crimes could be deterred through shaming, for example once this student sped on a military installation in southern california on marine corps base camp pendleton and he had to hold a sign that informed people of the speed limit and to obey the speed limit or else they would end up holding the sign as well which is a base order(Jamal, 2010). Through this event the goals of sentencing according to the commonwealth law bulletin of “retribution, deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation of the offender” was
I’d like to start this speech today with a question. How many people have been in a vehicle whether being the driver or a passenger and drove by a stationary emergency vehicle sitting alongside the road? I can attest to driving by as well as being on the side of the road. My father, my grandfather, my uncle, and some of my ideals are alongside the road every single day. My grandfather owns a towing company, I have spent my entire life around emergency responders. So, the Move Over Slow Down Law hits very close to home. An article published by Matt Gray states, “Five firefighters per year, and one law enforcement officer per month are killed due to the violation of the Move Over Law. One tow truck driver is killed every six days due to Move Over violations,” (Gray). I am here today to persuade the audience to move over and slow down for emergency responders alongside the road as well as stranded motorists. People need to be aware of the Move Over Slow Down Law.
In the articles I have chosen for my paper, the authors’ objective is mainly to examine the types of interventions the government can use to reduce the total number of road accidents involving automobiles. These policies may include raising the tax prices of gasoline, decreasing the unemployment rate, and many others. In my paper, I will examine each of the authors’ objectives and explain the policy interventions the government can use to solve the problems suggested by the authors.
We all have driven by a construction zone or been a passenger. Before you drive into a road construction zone you will see warning signs indicating that you are approaching a specific work zone. Typically, these signs will say “Three miles ahead work zone, speed limit 55 and any injury to a worker you will be fined 10,000 dollars.” Next, you will see men and women working and others supervising. One of the construction workers will be holding a sign to indicate to slow down, right on the side of the road saying slow down. Once you pass the worker holding a sign to slow down, hopefully you can see others following the directions. All you have to do is drive slow for a few miles and you will reach your