PT138.S1.P4.Q23 > Analytics

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Passage A.

Topic of passage A · Reasons to not prosecute

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Premise 1 · Laws are overinclusive

They end up accidentally forbidding some acts that weren't meant to be forbidden.

Premise 2 · Always enforcing overinclusive laws means harming the innocent

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Premise 3 · Instead, can choose to sometimes not prosecute ("discretionary nonenforcement")

Raise question · How law enforcement actually decides if/when to not prosecute

Does law enforcement actually prosecute for acts that weren't intended to be punished?

Author's perspective · Law enforcement mostly chooses not to prosecute acts that weren't intended to be punished

Punishing acts that weren't meant to be punished ("capricious enforcement") does occur, but it's not the norm because legislative oversight helps to counteract it.

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Problem · Overdue water bills

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Solution · Selectively punish only some residents

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Alternative solution · Lien

Overdue bills are collected later, when the property is sold

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Problem with alternative solution · Liens can't be used for unpaid water bills

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Author's solution · Expand the law to allow liens for unpaid water bills

Passage Style

23.

Both passages explicitly mention which ███ ██ ███ ██████████

legal technicalities

Not stated in Passage A.

incentives

Not stated in Passage A.

loopholes

Stated in Passage A and Stated in Passage B.

92%

language

Not stated in Passage B.

overinclusive laws

Not stated in Passage B.

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PrepTest 138 - Section 1 - Passage 4 - Question 23

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