Dan Canon > Quotes

“By now, we can see the plea bargain for what it is: a weapon to be used in the continuation of a class war that has raged for centuries, one that began out in the open but has moved to the dark corners of airtight conference rooms. The goal is now as it ever was: prevent the masses from meddling in the affairs of the state. The lower classes are to be kept uninvolved, uneducated, and out of the courthouse, unless they are in chains.”
― Dan Canon, Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class

“the American legal system was designed by people in power as a tool to keep them in power at whatever cost.”
― Dan Canon, Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class

“For many, they want absolute control of their fiefdom, so they work hard to politically intimidate their elected enemies, then do whatever they feel like. Where that is combined with seeking the maximum punishments is where one finds the worst prosecutors.”
― Dan Canon, Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class

“The US meets neither of those conditions.”
― Dan Canon, Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class