A couple recent stories point out the great discrepancies in who gets sent to jail in the US and who does not.
1 - The NYT reports on second thoughts (a bit too late for some) about harsh sentencing policies for non-violent drug crimes.
2 - The New Republic tells us a bank that was involved in drug transactions - as well as with terrorist organization - will pay a hefty fine, but the official involved will not be subject to criminal charges.
It worth speculating on why that discrepancy exists.