Just on my way out the door and saw this one: Attorney General Sessions thinks we need tougher sentencing and has instructed DOJ attorneys to ask for more time for crime. Like we don’t have enough people in federal prison? And tougher sentences mean that folks with federal restitution and fines to pay won’t pay. Here’s my simple reasoning – folks in prison don’t work. If they don’t work, they don’t have money to pay restitution and fines. Too simple? Not if you look at the impact of federal sentences. The Government gets big restitution judgments that make it seem like we are getting tough on crime and making the victim whole, but the reality is different. Prison time is just down time, and it does not make people more willing to follow the law or pay their fines and restitution. Probation and requiring persons convicted of criminal conduct to work and pay their victims back may well be the best solution.
Here’s my take-away: if you are facing federal criminal charges you need to be better prepared to defend your case.