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Traditionally police and courts are meant to have some limited discretion as to how the law is applied because the world is not black and white.
Politicians, not having the imagination to do anything else and listening to the righteous fury on the radio decide to "get tough on crime" by introducing mandatory sentencing. Thus, the police change their policies...
At the cost to the state and the benefit of the private prison sector, some little black kid then gets to spend X years in prison (or "crime school") for stealing a packet of chocolate biscuits or something.
The radio callers get off their high horse about crime and start ranting on about those darned *insert foreign country here* until poor old granny gets done and they once again howl in fury. The police change their policies...
Rinse. Repeat. Wipe hands on pants...
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