Genarlow Wilson's Tragic Sentencing for Consensual Oral Sex

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Kevin

It's because the state legislature, in its infinite wisdom, has seen fit to not draw that distinction.

Also, I'm not sure, but have they perhaps robbed the judge of his discretion during sentencing by imposing mandatory sentencing for this crime? Reading through the articles, I don't think that's the case, but that is a big issue when it comes to mandatory sentencing. Sometimes, the shoe just doesn't fit.

sigh....like me trying to fit my size 15s into a size 10....

This is a waste of taxpayer money...somebody had an axe to grind

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

sigh....like me trying to fit my size 15s into a size 10....

This is a waste of taxpayer money...somebody had an axe to grind

No. More likely, it's poorly written legislation. Legislators are so busy trying to close up the loopholes to catch the real bad guys that they forget that their laws might have unintended consequences.

The worst part is that a legislator who wants to brings common sense back to his state's criminal code will be accused by opponents as being soft on crime, a charge that the generally uninformed electorate will definitely find persuasive -- especially if any changes to the existing law allow child molesters to go free without serving what the public perceives to be a fair sentence.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Kevin

No. More likely, it's poorly written legislation. Legislators are so busy trying to close up the loopholes to catch the real bad guys that they forget that their laws might have unintended consequences.

The worst part is that a legislator who wants to brings common sense back to his state's criminal code will be accused by opponents as being soft on crime, a charge that the generally uninformed electorate will definitely find persuasive -- especially if any changes to the existing law allow child molesters to go free without serving what the public perceives to be a fair sentence.

I think u are right about the poorly written part...in the beginning when all this was going down, the prosecutor took advantage of the law to get Genarlow put away in the first place....I will have to find the article that discussed that point.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

I think u are right about the poorly written part...in the beginning when all this was going down, the prosecutor took advantage of the law to get Genarlow put away in the first place....I will have to find the article that discussed that point.

I'm not sure I totally blame the prosecutor here. Wilson may be a bit of a martyr, but he was prosecuted fully within the law. The prosecutor may be doing the public a greater service by literally forcing the legislature to reexamine this really poorly written law. While Wilson may be in prison, perhaps his stay there will forestall the likelihood of future injustices such as his.

I'm sure that must be a pretty pathetic consolation to someone in prison, but sometimes, society needs a martyr. If there's any justice in the world, there will be a lot of public (financial) support for Mr. Wilson whenever he's released so that he can go on and get an education, etc.

Also, if I were an activist, I'd be putting pressure on the governor for a pardon. The governor's failing to do so thus far, in my eyes, tells me that enough pressure hasn't been put on him.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I'm not sure I totally blame the prosecutor here. Wilson may be a bit of a martyr, but he was prosecuted fully within the law. The prosecutor may be doing the public a greater service by literally forcing the legislature to reexamine this really poorly written law. While Wilson may be in prison, perhaps his stay there will forestall the likelihood of future injustices such as his.

I'm sure that must be a pretty pathetic consolation to someone in prison, but sometimes, society needs a martyr. If there's any justice in the world, there will be a lot of public (financial) support for Mr. Wilson whenever he's released so that he can go on and get an education, etc.

Also, if I were an activist, I'd be putting pressure on the governor for a pardon. The governor's failing to do so thus far, in my eyes, tells me that enough pressure hasn't been put on him.

if you want to make an omelette you have be willing to break a few eggs.....