Unfair/unjust law or institutional bias in southern states?

[Box Brownie]

I saw this on the Google newsfeed and it made me wonder if the method of sentencing in this case and/or habitual behaviour mentioned would result in the same sentencing in the northern US states?

Louisiana court upholds black man's life sentence for trying to steal hedge clippers

Fair Wayne Bryant was sentenced to life in prison in 1997 for attempted simple burglary, and justices rejected his recent appeal

amp.theguardian.com

PS I vaguely recall something called 'three strikes and you are out' a good number of years back that gave life sentences to repeat offenders.......but not seen or heard of anything like that since, until this article.

 

[troutfisher]

The guy is black and its in a southern state, what else is to be expected.
I suppose the guy is lucky not to be on death row

 

[MartynK]

I saw this on the Google newsfeed and it made me wonder if the method of sentencing in this case and/or habitual behaviour mentioned would result in the same sentencing in the northern US states?

Louisiana court upholds black man's life sentence for trying to steal hedge clippers

Fair Wayne Bryant was sentenced to life in prison in 1997 for attempted simple burglary, and justices rejected his recent appeal

amp.theguardian.com

PS I vaguely recall something called 'three strikes and you are out' a good number of years back that gave life sentences to repeat offenders.......but not seen or heard of anything like that since, until this article.

Possibly. Three Strikes law is not confined to the Southern States. Wikipedia has a reasonable overview of the legislation, and its application, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-strikes_law. It was originally introduced during Bill Clinton's presidency, and Joe Biden, the Democrat candidate for the November elections played a major role in it. Biden was still defending it earlier this year.

Bryant seems to have ticked the boxes for a 'severe violent felony' (attempted armed robbery) and at least two other convictions.

I have a sense that many people in the UK would, rightly or wrongly, vote for something like this.

 

[woof woof]

It's their country, their culture and their laws and all we can do is look on and I suppose apply pressure as and when we can when we see excesses. It would be disappointing if the judges voted on racial grounds and I include those rejecting the appeal and the dissenter in that too.

To make my own mind up I'd want to know the guys record and what exactly was involved in trying to steal hedge clippers. At least he'll presumably "only" go to prison whereas in some other places the punishment could potentially make a life sentence in a US prison look like a life spent in a holiday camp.

Although kicking the good old USA is good sport from a UK viewpoint terrible things happen the world over. Mrs WW is Thai and feeds me a constant stream of stories from her home country that would make european liberal sensitive toes curl.