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Survey finds US sentences still vary widely

Associated Press

  March 05, 2012

A new study shows that federal judges are handing down widely disparate sentences for similar crimes 30 years after Congress tried to create fairer results, but the differences don’t line up with the party of the president who appointed the judges, despite any impressions that Republicans or Democrats may be tougher or softer on crime. Sentencing data from the past five years show that sentences for the same types of crimes vary significantly between judges in the same courthouse.

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