News Son Convicted Should Serve No Prison Time For "20 Minutes Of Action"

[Recovery4Me]

The case is being watched by the world and one of the messages being delivered is that our justice system allows preferential treatment on rape. Not being an legal expert, I have not noticed rape "in degrees" sentences being pronounced (such as murder in the first degree). However, I have noticed our current legal system appears to be unabashed by our exposed short comings.

Insofar as his father's statement...please notice it was not the mother (should the rapist have one). I truly believe it was not a parental protective view but an misogynistic slip. Perhaps ironically, the father has done more for catalyzing an movement for equality in rape sentencing then he cared to imagine. Poetic justice is at least served despite his priveledge.

 

[StellaBlue]

Who didn't bother to inform their clients father that '20 minutes of action' was probably NOT the right choice of words to use to gain sympathy from the Judge, jury, whoever those submissions were made to.

But the really disgusting thing is that it apparently was the right choice of words. It was a letter to the judge prior to sentencing.

And then, even after receiving what was essentially a slap on the wrist, he intends to appeal the decision (although I'm guessing it's more about the "burden" of having to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life rather than the 6 months in county lock up minus time served).

 

[RussH]

Let him appeal, perhaps the appellate judge will decide a stiffer sentence is needed.

 

[StellaBlue]

Let him appeal, perhaps the appellate judge will decide a stiffer sentence is needed.

Is it possible for him to get a harsher sentence on appeal? Would the same judge hear the case? I'm curious what grounds he will be presenting for appeal.

I just read the judge's comments from the sentencing. I am appalled. And the fact that he is a Stanford graduate (and a former member of the lacrosse team) makes his decisions and comments even more questionable.

 

[Anarchy]

A couple of thoughts
Prison time punishes almost everyone, It costs the tax victims (that's us) something like $70k to over $100k a year to keep someone in a cage (some facilities management firms, who make large political donations, are the only beneficiaries).

Far better if the rapist's pay was deducted at source for the next twenty plus years in order to pay off a lump sum compensation package.


What were the rapist's academic abilities? or was he just there (like many other entitled bullies) because he was good at sport, and got a free pass on the academic stuff?

Good at sport, entitled, arrogant and bully, (not always but) all too often seem to go together.

Certainly there were boarding schools in Britain that marketed themselves on the basis of lots of sport and being tough (Gordonstoun was founded on the idea of being the toughest of the lot.
- look what attending Gordonstoun (and a screwed up upbringing) have done to Prince Charles and his brothers. I never attended Gordonstoun, one of my ex's did.

I'm not going to bash the idea of people who are at university, enjoying sport, but

I will question whether there are people who are getting in on the basis of being good at sport, rather than having the academic abilities, and what the effect of such preferential entry has on the culture of the campus

Here's one of the profs from Stanford* talking about the effect of removing entitled personalities from a culture

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*The whole documentary is good, but Sapolsky and Mate are absolutely and embarrassingly clueless about economics (Dunning_Kruger strikes again https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning-Kruger_effect )
The vid also has mention of a study on the health of British civil servants (working in Whitehall); Is anyone surprised that a rigid hierarchical institution which seeks to impose hierarchy on an entire population - causes stress related illness to those at the bottom?

 

[RussH]

Is it possible for him to get a harsher sentence on appeal? Would the same judge hear the case? I'm curious what grounds he will be presenting for appeal.

I believe it is possible that he can get a stiffer sentence. No, the same judge would not hear the appeal. The appeal would go to the appellate court.

What grounds? I don't know. It was just stated that the defendant (father) would appeal the case.

 

[Deleted member 28740]

(although I'm guessing it's more about the "burden" of having to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life rather than the 6 months in county lock up minus time served).

And let's not forget about the rape culture that exists in prisons. Poster boy for that, so he and family will fight with all their resources to keep the precious son out of harms way. He could be raped while in prison. Different understanding to say the least when it is your own body being raped and abused.

As for the father and the "Boys will be Boys" with a smirk, and wink and nod, and lets just all agree he is a great kid and going to be a fine advocate for not drinking. Prohibition will solve rape, my son is willing to give up his swimming to share how profoundly he trembles thinking of all he has lost.

 

[Deleted member 28740]

Far better if the rapist's pay was deducted at source for the next twenty plus years in order to pay off a lump sum compensation package.

Old times there were 'uninhabited lands' and indentured conscripts to sail the transport ships. No cost and if they perished 'oh well…

Dead beats don't even pay child support. Takes taxes to track them down and then put them in jail.
Clean out the jails of non violent offenders and use resources for apprehension and prosecution of violent SA criminals.

Rainn has some stats on the cost of SA in $$$$ for medical costs, police time costs, loss of work cost. Price tag on the life time cost to the individual by diminishment is not documented and is PRICELESS. The figures are based on reported incidents which is a minor percentage of actual SA incidents. Countries differ in the rate of SA incidents and prosecution. US puts more people in jail for stealing a tv.

Property is of greater value.

The victim statement is a sea change event in this case.

 

[StellaBlue]

And let's not forget about the rape culture that exists in prisons.

Except he's not going to prison - the judge thought that prison would have a "severe impact on him". He's going to county jail, most likely in a cell by himself. And...he's apparently eligible to get out in 3 months if he behaves himself.

 

[ladee]

What is really sad to me, is this jerk got most of the attention. Yes, the victim was heralded as awesome with her victim statement... but he's a star and she is in her T's office trying to put her life back together. I looked at the picture of him and his mom walking into court... if that isn't a forced look on his face , almost a smirk.... I do wonder if people like him ever 'wake up'....

 

[LF1]

most likely in a cell by himself

Yep, I read in another newspaper article today that he was going into protective custody to keep him safe from the other inmates.

 

[Anarchy]

Rainn has some stats on the cost of SA in $$$$ for medical costs, police time costs, loss of work cost. Price tag on the life time cost to the individual by diminishment is not documented and is PRICELESS.

I Agree. There is no way that compensation can ever make the victim "whole again" or undo what has been done.

Under compensatory rather than punitive systems, the compensation is the price to dissuade the friends, relatives and other supporters of the victim from taking more rigorous actions. It is recognised that the victim can never be fully restored.

There doesn't appear to be much hope of the victim receiving any recompense at all from the perp under the present system. Perhaps Bubba might be the only winner along with many losers.

Old times there were 'uninhabited lands' and indentured conscripts to sail the transport ships. No cost and if they perished 'oh well…

Shhhh, type quietly, some of their descendant’s might be reading:cautious:

Clean out the jails of non violent offenders and use resources for apprehension and prosecution of violent SA criminals.

not least some of the prison staff. The father of one of my little school friends was a prison officer in a child prison. He turned out to be one of the most prolific child rapists ever convicted in Britain. I've seen at least one of his victims on the forum here. the poor victim was very symptomatic forty years on, and didn't hang around. I never let on that I'd been friend's with his abuser's son. hideous institutions.