Ramen noodles 'are most valuable US prison commodity', study finds

Re:Ramen noodles 'are most valuable US prison commodity', st... by masklinn on Tuesday August 23, 2016 @06:05AM (#12342549)

> This can also be seen in the different sentences. Whereas in Norway (maximum sentence 21 years) or Germany (mostly out of prison after 15 years), you can be sentenced for life or even death in the US.

Things are not that clear cut, you can't get "hard" sentenced to life (or death) in Norway but you can be sentenced to indeterminate-length "preventive detention": the sentence can be renewed for up to 5 years at a time indefinitely.

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Re:Ramen noodles 'are most valuable US prison commodity', st... by jpatokal on Tuesday August 23, 2016 @06:34AM (#12342633)

But those sentences are extremely rare and reserved for violent psychopaths. Norway currently has 76 people serving one.

In the US, it's possible and not even that rare to end up with life sentences for things like non-violent drugs offenses and repeated petty theft (three strikes), so there are >150,000 people with actual life sentences. Plus all the people serving something like 80 years, which is notionally definite, but in practice also a life sentence.

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Re:Ramen noodles 'are most valuable US prison commodity', st... by toomanybeersies on Tuesday August 23, 2016 @06:53AM (#12342695)

I linked this just the other day, and it's relevant again. Life in prison for stealing a pair of socks: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/cruel-and-unusual-...

If that's not manifestly unjust, I don't know what is. I have no idea how 3 strikes laws and mandatory minimums are constitutional in the USA, I'm no constitutional scholar (or American), but I'm fairly sure that it violates separation of powers.

Regardless, the above link is a very good reason for judicial discretion, among other reasons.

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