Sentencing disparity takes place when cases that appear similar are not disposed appropriately. Notably, disparity demonstrates that sections of offenders are not subjected to proper sentencing based on legal findings (Eichenseer, 2005). Evidently, judges in certain jurisdiction may subject rapists and sex offenders to probation, while in others; offenders might be imprisoned for life without evidence of previous crimes committed (FAMM, 2020). The ensuing discussion delves on Chris Young’s and Blakely v. Washington cases in a bid to demonstrate change and sentence discrepancies between individuals of varying socioeconomic backgrounds are concerns when it comes to race and the court system.
Explaining the Crime That Was Committed and the Sentence the Individual Was Given.
In one of the cases under scrutiny, a young man Chris Young was subjected to life imprisonment. He was first convicted when he was 18, and faced his second conviction at 19 for being in possession of cocaine less than 0.5 gram. According to FAMM (2020), Christopher Young was again arrested when he was 22 when found talking to a leader of a drug gang. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to the charges of being an armed felon. Prior to being sentenced, Young addressed the court for 45 minutes. He revealed that he was reluctant to accept government’s offer of plea and receiving 22 year sentence because people at the top of conspiracy were getting shorter sentences. He chose to go on full trial and was given a life sentence.
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In Blakely v. Washington, the offender Ralph Howard Blakely, Jr. pleaded guilty to the crime of kidnapping his former wife. Based on circumstances, he was supposed to get maximum sentence of four and half years (Eichenseer, 2005). However, he was sentenced to seven years. He appealed the sentence and the Supreme Court overturned the decision by the state court judge. Notably, the sentence was a violation of the Sixth Amendment considering the jury failed to piece together facts legally essential to the punishment.
Describe the Person’s Racial and Ethnic Background.
Chris Young, black, was born in Clarksville, Tennessee. He grew up in a poverty-stricken family. His brother took his life at the tender age of 22. Following the death of his brother, Young became hopeless and secured a job in a funeral home. However, he later took to drugs leading him to jail. Ralph Howard Blakely, Jr., a white, started engaging in crime in the 50s. He was always in trouble with lawmakers for various crimes ranging from assault to shoplifting.
The Issue or Concern Related to the Court’s Sentence for the Crime
The issue or the concern related to the case is that, Christopher Young was jailed for life for non-violent drug charges in a conspiracy case. The charges were based on federal ‘‘three strikes law’’, which requires a mandatory minimum to be imposed on repeat offenders. Upon sentencing Chris to life imprisonment, the Federal Judge Kevin Sharp resigned and admitted that although the young man deserved to be jailed, a lifetime sentence was extreme and outrageous. Revealingly, Christopher Young was a young man while engaging in drug dealing, and he did so to sustain himself following the death of his only brother.
In Ralph Howard Blakely, Jr. case, the concern was that, the judge had increased his sentence with more than three years based on deliberate cruelty. He had been denied his federal constitutional right by the procedure used by the judge (Eichenseer, 2005). The concern was that the sentence was a violation of the Sixth Amendment because there lacked facts to warrant the punishment (Eichenseer, 2005). In addition, the sentence was a violation of Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment (Eichenseer, 2005).
Data as to why there is an Issue with the Sentence
Evidently, the people of color are subjected to harshest sentences compared to their whites’ counterparts (Gabbidon & Greene, 2019). Notably, the blacks get prison sentences that are 20% longer than the white offenders for similar crimes. According to Gabbidon & Greene (2019), the most recent data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that, each year, over a million adults are charged with felonies, and majority of the cases take place within state courts. Shockingly, 38% of the offenders convicted in state courts are black. In that respect, it is clear that the people of color are treated unfairly by the courts.
References
Eichenseer, N. J. (2005). Reasonable Doubt in the Rear-view Mirror: The Case for Blakely- Booker R. Wisconsin Law Review.
FAMM (2020). Chris Young: “Barely on the Totem Pole” and Life in Prison. Retrieved <https://famm.org/stories/chris-young-barely-totem-pole-life-prison/>
Gabbidon, S.L. & Greene, H. T. (2019). Race and Crime. 5 th Ed.
