Osler's Razor

Writing for the Washington Post yesterday, Tana Ganeva described the very sad case of Ferrell Scott, who is doing a life sentence for a non-violent marijuana trafficking case. To be sure, Scott was convicted of actual trafficking of significant amounts of marijuana, but a life sentence (which is greater than that for nearly any federal crime other than first-degree murder or terrorism) is not proportional to the crime.

Yesterday, I was really trying to work on a new project, but people-- family members, those in prison-- kept calling me wondering if there was any hope in their case. Some I knew, some I did not. But I gave them all the same answer: I just don't know.