I wonder how many people unnecessarily languish in prison or labor under the disabling effect of a conviction? Notice that I did not ask about how many people are wrongfully convicted. I include in the class of those destroyed by the law plenty of people who were guilty of the crime charged. My concern is the effect of overcriminalization.
The penal code is an awfully fluffy thing, especially as crimes become less serious. Almost all of us are criminals at one point or another. Who hasn’t breached the peace of another? And, let’s be candid here, what parent hasn’t from time to time exposed a child to the risk of injury?
