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Truth in Sentencing Laws Do Not Deter Crime

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Opening Argument: Truth in Sentencing Laws do not Deter Crime
Truth in sentencing was developed to keep inmates (especially more violent) to serve 85% or more of their initial time in prison. Although it is to insure the safety and builds a better relationship within society, there can be some negative outcomes such as the availability of plea bargaining to receive lesser sentences or inmates who are serving their complete sentence have the inability to adapt to society once released.
Using the plea bargaining system has saved a lot of time and money for the court work group because of the willingness of the suspect to forfeit their freedom whereas a person proceeds to trial and receive a harsher term “…more than 90 percent of all criminal cases do not go to trial because the offender pleads guilty to a lesser charge. Even violent crimes are routinely plea-bargained--an estimated 77 percent of rape cases, 85 percent of aggravated assault cases, and 87 percent of robbery cases.” (Anne Morrison Piehl, 1995) . Piehl and DiIulio explained that criminals almost always have the option to discuss a plea bargain to avoid trial, and also prosecutors are more than willing to proceed with the deal because it cuts time on their work load as well as reduce the funding to conduct these trials.
In most cases, people eventually adapt to their environment. In cases when a person is in prison, he/she have molded to the familiar everyday lifestyle that comes with it. “A stronger penalty for robbery may deter some robberies, but it may result in more murders as some robbers choose to kill the victims to eliminate witnesses.18 Other studies have found that longer prison sentences result in an increase in murder.19” (Shepherd, 2002) . Although the streets are safer when the offender is locked up, with the underdeveloped reentry policy, people with harsher sentences tend to commit

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