Asserting the Right to Trial is a Felony Punishable by 95-Year Imprisonment

According to Stephen Heymann's actions as a U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, and as approved by the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, a crime that might be punishable with 3 - 4 months in jail bears with it up to a 95-year imprisonment for asserting one's individual right to a jury trial.  These are the choices given Aaron Swartz for the possible illegal downloading of academic papers.  Rather than plead guilty to a felony and serve 3 - 4 months in prison or fight conviction and a 95-year imprisonment by asserting his right to trial, Aaron Swartz committed suicide.  Aaron Swartz was a highly regarded programmer who help create Reddit, RSS, and Creative Commons.

Alexander Cohen has written more about this miscarriage of justice in an interesting article here.  Alexander Cohen is also setting up a new non-profit called the Center for the Individual.

Cohen: Government Intimidation Violating Individual Rights

Alexander Cohen of the Atlas Society and its Business Rights Center has written a most excellent article on the violation of our individual rights caused by government prosecutors piling on sentencing penalties to keep us from standing upon our rights.  They intimidate people into plea bargain agreements when they are innocent or when they may be innocent.  These citizens are deprived of their day in court, to which they are entitled.  As Cohen says, our rights mean little if were are too afraid to assert them.