When it comes to criminal prosecutions, the end never justifies the means.

Prosecutors who take shortcuts in winning convictions or lengthy sentences are not only violating the rights of the accused, they’re also undermining our entire system of justice.

That’s worth remembering when considering the ongoing legal battle over the 27-year prison sentence handed down to Sholom Rubashkin, the former head of Postiville’s Agriprocessors slaughterhouse….

Did they, intentionally or otherwise, ratchet up the losses sustained by Agriprocessors’ creditors and later use those losses to increase Rubashkin’s sentence?

And did they adopt a policy of guilt-by-association in barring any member of the Rubashkin family — including people never accused of wrongdoing — from involvement in Agriprocessor’s successor?

The evidence indicates they did just that, which helps to explain why so many well-respected former prosecutors and judges are up in arms over their actions.

Read the editorial here.