I saw that one of the Manson family killers was refused parole just recently. She was 19 and stoned at the time; she is now over 60 and has earned a university degree in prison. What possible reason could there be for holding her still? The reason is in the article: possible media pressure. Combine that with the US habit of piling on consecutive charges. DSK was risking something like 60 years if he had been convicted in New York.

Somewhere along the line, the notion of justice is sidestepped and as the article points out, society is paying hard cash for this fundamentalist approach.