It is widely protested that the incarceration rate of the States is far higher than the rest of the world’s. This kind of sausage justice can’t make the picture look any prettier.
For these rates to look reasonable, one would have to assume the cops and prosecutors just don’t make mistakes.
The US Department of Justice reported a 97% conviction rate in federal courts for 2012.
To a reasonable person that makes their title an oxymoron. I’d be much happier with a 75% conviction rate.
Come to think of it, why bother hiring an attorney if you’re to be tried in federal court?