CIowa

tjadams

Sure are a lot of bridges being sold on here lately.

Patito de Hule

I tend to see her more as an addict than as a "repeat offender."

But the federal guidelines include additional time for previous crimes. Our justice system is not about justice or preventing crime. It is about punishing the small fish--about society's terrible vengeance. It's a sad commentary on our criminal justice system.

Rasta

Agreed. It should be perhaps called "maintaining status quo" system as opposed to justice system.

unclefred

I'd say the fact that in all of those previous convictions she only served 10 days in jail, is good evidence that the Justice System went to considerable lengths to prevent future crimes. They cut her a lot of slack, and I would imagine she also was mandated to treatment, from my experience in such cases.

Carlisle Blues

What would you have done?

Patito de Hule

I would have stuck with the plea agreement and the guidelines.

There is good reason for doing so. If people (and their lawyers) get the notion that this judge bypasses plea agreements, then they should hold out for a trial. This will totally swamp the court.

In the second place, reading between the lines here, all of her previous felony convictions are for non-violent drug offences. Most of these should not even be felonies.

In the third place, the guidelines themselves are overkill. The result has been long sentences for relatively minor crimes. Our prisons are filled beyond capacity. Around 60% of our prison inmates are there for non-violent drug offences.

In the fourth place, there is no federal facility for female inmates in Mississippi. She will probably be assigned to Carswell in Fort Worth, TX. That facility is one of the better for women, and has an attached hospital for treatment of inmates, but it is still far removed from her community and family. These are the worst conditions for breeding recidivism. In all studies, the best indicator of who will be successfully returned to their community is the amount of contact they have with their community while doing their time.

After all this, I have to admit that I am not privy to the presentencing report of the parole officer, but neither was the reporter who wrote the story.

Carlisle Blues

This woman is incorrigible, "while committing this offense, she was still on supervised released," Wingate said. "While on bond, she tested positive for drugs." I beleive he is doing her a favor, maybe even saving her life. While incarcerated she may get rehabilitative assistance regarding her obvious problems. It is clear that leniency has not deterred her from committing these acts.

Patito de Hule

Incorrigible? She's an addict. Federal prison and the joke of an addiction program they have there will not resolve that.

To see what a joke this criminal "justice" can be, I remember a case in 1966/67. A man stole a pig. When the deputy sheriff went to serve a warrant, the suspect's brother shot and killed the deputy. The pig thief was sentenced to twenty years for grand theft; his brother got three for 2nd degree murder.

That's the type of miscarriage of justice the article was about. Neither you nor I know enough from the article about the woman to make a judgment.

Carlisle Blues

You did make a judgment, "she's an addict and "what a joke this criminal "justice" can be".

I also made a judgment based on my experiences with the administration of the justice system, addiction and success stories while applying such to the facts that were offered by the article.