How Sentencing Enhancements Became a Weapon

They say the time should fit the crime—but what happens when the system uses sentencing enhancements to stack charges, extend sentences, and pressure people into plea deals?

In this episode of Pamela Price Unfiltered, I sit down with longtime activist attorney and prison abolitionist Cynthia Chandler to break down the truth about enhancements—and how they’ve become one of the justice system’s most misused tools.

Cynthia’s resume is unmatched. A co-founder of Critical Resistance and Justice Now, she’s spent decades working alongside incarcerated people to challenge systemic oppression. From helping to establish California’s compassionate release law to exposing the illegal sterilization of women in state prisons (as seen in the Emmy-winning documentary Belly of the Beast), her impact runs deep.

As a former Senior Assistant District Attorney in Alameda County and a Harvard-trained lawyer, Cynthia brings perspective from both inside and outside the system—and she’s not pulling any punches.

We’re diving deep into:

• What sentencing enhancements really are—and how they’ve been weaponized
• How enhancements contribute to mass incarceration and coercive plea deals
• The impact on families, children, and community safety
• Why “justice” should mean more than punishment
• What a people-centered, accountable legal system could look like

This conversation is urgent, unfiltered, and full of insight you won’t hear anywhere else.