They continue to get caught in a net of unnecessarily punitive policing, prosecutorial and sentencing protocols.
There are, however, good reasons to wonder about prosecutorial power in sentencing, since prosecutors are not responsible for seeking fair sentences.
"Disparities in police stops, prosecutorial charging and sentencing decisions have wreaked havoc in black communities," argued Michael Eric Dyson and Malik Burnett in an op-ed in the Washington Post in October.
The Money Laundering Control Act, enacted in 1986, is a powerful prosecutorial tool, with conviction carrying a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Last year, Goethals excluded the death penalty option for Dekraai due to "ongoing prosecutorial misconduct". Goethals instead sentenced Dekraai to eight consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.
His recent work has examined the capacity of open-file discovery to check prosecutorial power, the relationship between sentencing guidelines and the fairness of sentences, and the optimal age of majority for separating the juvenile and adult justice systems.
He provided valuable information -- he was questioned by investigators 58 times before his sentencing -- but his prosecutorial worth was never clear.
Prosecutorial overreach and aggressive minimum sentencing laws mean our legal system is structured to coerce admissions of guilt.
Derek's attorney, Janice Deaton of San Diego, says she will soon file an appeal of Derek's conviction, citing "prosecutorial misconduct" and asking for a "huge reduction in sentence based on his actual role".
In 2004, the United States Supreme Court overturned his sentence, finding that prosecutorial misconduct had led the jury to give Mr. Banks the death penalty.
