PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS, DAs

...are all elected, based on how many "convictions" they get (putting people in prison or giving the death penalty, etc.). So they often exploit the tragedies of crime-victims to advance their records, while driving the public's fear of crime through the media. They get extra convictions by pushing naive, 'small time' defendants into pleaÐbargains, and through the District Attorneys' Association, constantly push for more power & new ways to convict people: harsher, 'big headline' sentences, 'mandatory minimum' laws like '3 Strikes,' or new crimes to give the death penalty to. They push for longer prison time & discourage effective alternatives to advance their own careers.