overcriminalization
Too many laws
Overcriminalization is the excessive use of criminal law to address conduct that might be better handled through civil penalties, regulation, or no legal intervention at all.
The term implies that too many behaviors have been made into crimes, or that penalties are disproportionately harsh.
Critics argue that overcriminalization clogs courts, fills prisons, and turns ordinary citizens into criminals for minor infractions: The proliferation of federal regulations has led to overcriminalization of business practices.
Excessive imprisonment at scale
- plea bargainingNegotiated admission of guilt
- mandatory minimumsLegally required base sentences
- prison overcrowdingExcess inmates in facilities
- incarceration ratesMeasure of imprisoned population
judicial discretion · public defender · felony charge · misdemeanor · recidivism · probation · parole · bail reform
Restructuring legal system practices
- sentencing reformAltering criminal punishment guidelines
- legalizationMaking something lawful
- restorative justiceConflict resolution through mutual healing
- harm reductionMinimizing adverse outcomes pragmatically
police reform · abolition movement · clemency · commutation · retroactivity · proportionality
Laws governing offenses
- statutesFormally enacted laws
- ordinancesLocal government rules
- feloniesSerious punishable offenses
- misdemeanorsMinor legal violations
infractions · penalties · sanctions · lawmaking · prohibition
Minor criminal violations
- drug possessionUnlawful custody of narcotics
- loiteringPurposeless public lingering
- jaywalkingIllegal pedestrian crossing
- truancyUnauthorized absence from school
Government's capacity to govern
- enforcementCompelling compliance with rules
- overreachExceed one's capacity
- authoritarianismConcentrated, unchecked governmental power
- punitivenessTendency toward harsh penalties
surveillance · police state · social control · compliance · nanny state
mass incarceration
Excessive imprisonment at scale
- plea bargainingNegotiated admission of guilt
- mandatory minimumsLegally required base sentences
- prison overcrowdingExcess inmates in facilities
incarceration rates · judicial discretion · public defender · felony charge · misdemeanor · recidivism · probation · parole · bail reform · corrections
justice reform
Restructuring legal system practices
- sentencing reformAltering criminal punishment guidelines
- legalizationMaking something lawful
- restorative justiceConflict resolution through mutual healing
harm reduction · police reform · abolition movement · clemency · commutation · retroactivity · proportionality
penal code
Laws governing offenses
- statutesFormally enacted laws
- ordinancesLocal government rules
- feloniesSerious punishable offenses
misdemeanors · infractions · penalties · sanctions · lawmaking · prohibition
petty offenses
Minor criminal violations
- drug possessionUnlawful custody of narcotics
- loiteringPurposeless public lingering
- jaywalkingIllegal pedestrian crossing
state power
Government's capacity to govern
- enforcementCompelling compliance with rules
- overreachExceed one's capacity
- authoritarianismConcentrated, unchecked governmental power
punitiveness · surveillance · police state · social control · compliance · nanny state
overcriminalizationlaissez-faire
Noninterference in commerce
decarceration · harm reduction · restorative justice · tolerance · non-intervention
over, crime, crimes, criminal, criminals, criminality, criminalize, criminalized, criminalizes