Comment by BrenBarn

The biggest problem is that the penalties for putting people in this situation are less severe than for the person put in the situation.

If a police officer, prosecutor, judge, or anyone else puts someone in the position of facing six years in prison for something this frivolous, that police officer, prosecutor, judge, etc., should be charged with a crime that carries a potential penalty of six years in prison. People in law enforcement and the justice system need to stand behind their efforts with the full expectation that, if they stray from justice, they may suffer whatever they inflict.