Allowing Quote by Harold H. Greene
“Defendants are being evaluated based on numerical grid without any aggravating circumstances being considered. The effect has been to transfer the disparity from the judge to the prosecutor allowing for a great deal of leeway on indictments.”
About This Quote
Source Legal Opinion: Sentencing Guidelines Review, 1998
Using numeric grids for defendants ignores aggravating factors, shifting bias to prosecutors.
In simple terms: Numbers can bias legal outcomes.
Key Takeaway
Consider individual circumstances in sentencing.
Themes
justice
bias
legal reform
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
legal
policy
When to use this quote
- court sentencing
- policy drafting
- prosecutorial training
- defendant advocacy
Key Concepts
Criminology
procedural fairness
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we balance data with human judgment?
- What safeguards protect against prosecutor overreach?
A Different Perspective
Quantitative tools may improve consistency.
![“During voir dire, the interviews for jury selection, each person is asked under oath about their experience with the criminal justice system, as defendant or victim, but usually not even the most elementary effort is made to corroborate those claims. One ADA [Associate District Attorney] told me…” quote by Edward Conlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d1d/edward-conlon-33074_cops_during-voir-dire-the-interviews-for-jury_1540504.jpg)
