As a plaintiff’s attorney who generally makes more money settling cases than trying them, I’m still not so sure having citizens spending more time on juries would be a bad thing. And if there are so many criminal prosecutions that our courts can’t keep up with it, perhaps that’s a signal that we either have too many crimes or too many criminals, and that one of the problems with plea bargains is that they help sweep both problems under the rug.
I agree with you that we need to de-criminalize a lot of things. If I had my druthers I’d legalize (or at least de-criminalize) things like drugs, prostitution, and gambling. I’d re-criminalize loitering, living with no visible means of support, etc. Basically, give back to people the freedom to do with themselves as they wish but then impose upon them full responsibility for their actions.