Civilized people, let some steam off with this video

[Jolly_Penguin]

The punishment does seem excessive. In fact, I wonder if it's unconstitutional. We can each hold our opinions on the length of the prison sentence, but the punishment extends beyond that. Barred from the county?

Barred from the county is your concern? I was wondering about the length of the prison terms.

I wonder about this as well. This seems a tad political, no?

 

[Keith&Co.]

I wonder about this as well. This seems a tad political, no?

Well, I would suspect that when they came up with the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act the people who wrote it and voted it in were thinking of black gangs and muslim terrorists. So everyone was on board with hammering the shit out of them.

Kind of like the anti-drug laws enacted around here, they always imagine prosecuting three-time losers and monsters, and then look all sorts of surprised when the state is forced to prosecute a 14 year old kid as if he were a hardened criminal.

 

[Speakpigeon]

I don't know why, but of all the stories of racists getting their due, this one gives me the most hope.

https://gma.yahoo.com/duo-gets-pris...-threats-072249708--abc-news-topstories.html#

The only interesting question is whether the sentence is lawful. If it is but you don't like it then it's just too bad you didn't complain before about the law.

Or maybe you can explain whatever the judge did wrong according to the law.
EB

 

[bilby]

I wonder about this as well. This seems a tad political, no?

Well, I would suspect that when they came up with the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act the people who wrote it and voted it in were thinking of black gangs and muslim terrorists. So everyone was on board with hammering the shit out of them.

Kind of like the anti-drug laws enacted around here, they always imagine prosecuting three-time losers and monsters, and then look all sorts of surprised when the state is forced to prosecute a 14 year old kid as if he were a hardened criminal.

This is one of the more frequently overlooked breaches of the separation of powers. Legislators should not be able to decree minimum sentences. It is an unjust and unjustified imposition upon the role of the Judiciary.

The law should define what is illegal, and (perhaps) the maximum penalty for doing it.

It's up to the courts to assess each case individually, and to determine an appropriate sentence.

Legislators don't have, and cannot have, prior knowledge of all the mitigating factors in a particular breach of the law. To allow them to dictate minimum sentences without access to the full details of each case is dangerous and stupid, and is an abuse of the separation of powers.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Legislators don't have, and cannot have, prior knowledge of all the mitigating factors in a particular breach of the law. To allow them to dictate minimum sentences without access to the full details of each case is dangerous and stupid, and is an abuse of the separation of powers.

Yes, but we have this huge problem, they tell us, with bleeding heart liberal judges who keep letting these despicable people off with warnings or wrist slaps or non-meaningful punishments.
Or the District Attorney declines to prosecute because he's a namby pamby bleeding heart or something.

So the legislature was forced, simply forced, to make sure that the prosecutor has to prosecute and the judge has to jail the miscreant.

THen we get these ridiculous press meetings where the same legislators implore the prosecutor NOT to prosecute the mislead youth or the unfairly charged girl or the college bound kid who had had such a bright future before he was caught selling drugs within ten feet of a school. The Law-And-Order candidate begging the Law to break the law...

 

[bilby]

Legislators don't have, and cannot have, prior knowledge of all the mitigating factors in a particular breach of the law. To allow them to dictate minimum sentences without access to the full details of each case is dangerous and stupid, and is an abuse of the separation of powers.

Yes, but we have this huge problem, they tell us, with bleeding heart liberal judges who keep letting these despicable people off with warnings or wrist slaps or non-meaningful punishments.
Or the District Attorney declines to prosecute because he's a namby pamby bleeding heart or something.

So the legislature was forced, simply forced, to make sure that the prosecutor has to prosecute and the judge has to jail the miscreant.

THen we get these ridiculous press meetings where the same legislators implore the prosecutor NOT to prosecute the mislead youth or the unfairly charged girl or the college bound kid who had had such a bright future before he was caught selling drugs within ten feet of a school. The Law-And-Order candidate begging the Law to break the law...

Hence the expression 'dangerous and stupid'...