Hear That Sound? It's Feces Hitting the Fan.

[kandrathe]

Ok. Your example of Jeff Luer's is a solitary case. It might be that he received an unjust sentence, and sometimes innocent people are convicted as well. The system has flaws.

The only case that struck me as odd was the professional basketball player who received a light sentence. Which may have been due to him being able to afford very good lawyers to challenge the evidence against him. Seems like an OJ defense.

The Register Guard reported on Aug. 2, 2001, that 26-year old Ruben Patterson, a basketball player with the Portland Trailblazers, recently received a suspended sentence of one year in prison for attempted rape on his children's 24-year-old nanny. Patterson ended up serving 15 days in jail -- for coercing a young woman to perform oral sex on him.

Where I live now, 20+ year olds regularly receive 30 days in jail, mandatory sex offender couseling at their own expense, 3 years probation, and being on the sexual offenders list for life for having a consentual relationship with a 17-year-old young woman. Even when she might have children already.

I believe prison or the death penalty can serve 3 possible motives. Justice (punishment if you will), rehabilitation, and protection of society. I don't believe in the death penalty except in extreme cases where rehabilitation would not be trusted. That is when the nature of the crimes committed are so heinous that the offender should never be trusted into society again. In most mundane murder cases today where the death penalty is applied I would rather the offender serve life working 16 hour days with every dime earned above his own housing costs to repay the victims family.

As for Tookie, his sentence was an application of justice for a cold blooded, multiple murderer.