Should any court case be based solely on probabilities?

Courtroom decisions should be based on facts and probabilities, not manipulation by a skilled prosecutor or defense attorney.

What percentage of prisoners are nonviolent?

Nearly half (46%) of people incarcerated in state prisons in 2015 were convicted of nonviolent drug, property or public order crimes. People convicted of drug offenses were 16 percent of state prisoners and 50% of federal prison inmates in 2015.

What are the 5 goals of sentencing?

The 5 Sentencing Objectives

• Retribution. Victims and their families are injured, either physically or emotionally, by a crime.
• Deterrence. Another objective is both general and specific deterrence.
• Incapacitation.
• Rehabilitation.
• Restitution.

What is the inmate classification system?

Classification is the ongoing process of collecting and evaluating information about each inmate to determine the inmate’s risk and need for appropriate confinement, treatment, programs, and employment assignment, whether in a facility or the community.

Why are prisoners considered to be a vulnerable population in research?

Prisoners, individuals involuntarily confined or detained in a penal institution, as a population are considered vulnerable because the constraints of incarceration may affect an individual’s ability to give voluntary, informed consent.

What are the special ethical concerns with incarcerated populations?

In the past, prisoners have carried a heavier burden of the risks of research than the general population. Although the level of severity varies depending on the correctional setting, prisoners face restrictions on liberty and autonomy, limited privacy, and potentially inadequate health care services.

Why are statistics not used in court?

Statistical errors often arise in court because a statistic is proffered as an answer to a question it cannot address. Consider how juries might interpret the following phrases: “evidence is consistent with”, “could have come from”, or “does not rule out”.

Are statistics legal evidence?

Statutes in many states make census and other published governmental statistics prima facie legal evidence, although many “census” data are based on samples and all of them are hearsay evidence many times removed. The hearsay rule is the more serious obstacle.