tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post4885185106009150640..comments2024-03-15T05:45:01.402-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Conflation of punishment with price system distorts justice in sex-assault casesGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-6855102681859614462018-12-13T14:52:49.756-06:002018-12-13T14:52:49.756-06:00@08:50: "My son was falsely accused of sexual...@08:50: "My son was falsely accused of sexual misconduct, he served the time that was forced upon him. The Prosecutor while making campaign speeches told a room of Tea Party members that he added 10 year probation to all the sentences. In which he explained that he could always pull them back into the system. They have refused him a drivers license but expect him to get to probation appointments, go to work, pay fines & collection fees - while trying to put his life back together. He was completely innocent but Tax Payers only pay for Prosecutors to have an investigator. Three Attorney's have stated that they have to go before this Judge (he said he was God) quite often (close friend of Prosecutor), so they cannot make waves. This Prosecutor is now the Judge (still incompetent). Is this what is called justice? The Court has ruined the lives of at least 6 families in this one bad judgment - Can this be justice or would you call it revenue & benefits?"<br /><br />Let me guess--Judge Jack Skeen Jr.?Fat Jack AKA "Junior"noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-87241331278693154002018-12-13T13:13:25.967-06:002018-12-13T13:13:25.967-06:0008:50:00
I might have you beat. My brother serve...08:50:00<br /><br />I might have you beat. My brother served 20 years for 1 count of sexual assault. The picture that sent him to prison for 20 years was taken by the MOTHER of the 23 year old so called victim during a sexathon. The court decided NOT to summon the eyewitness picture taker since the 23 year old "victim" told the Dallas police she wouldn't press charges unless the police promised NOT to summon her mother as a witness. After the conviction the photographer told me on the phone that as long as she was living with my brother her family couldn't steal her social security check from her every month. A total set up. CDC 4 you have a special spot in the movie script.<br /><br />A movie script is being written as we speak. Hey there, Dallas FBI office, are you listening? Hollywood might. Fathers, counsel your sons very carefully about the new PC legal code....................Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-9368831199429117852018-12-12T20:50:26.614-06:002018-12-12T20:50:26.614-06:00Where do I start? My son was falsely accused of se...Where do I start? My son was falsely accused of sexual misconduct, he served the time that was forced upon him. The Prosecutor while making campaign speeches told a room of Tea Party members that he added 10 year probation to all the sentences. In which he explained that he could always pull them back into the system. They have refused him a drivers license but expect him to get to probation appointments, go to work, pay fines & collection fees - while trying to put his life back together. He was completely innocent but Tax Payers only pay for Prosecutors to have an investigator. Three Attorney's have stated that they have to go before this Judge (he said he was God) quite often (close friend of Prosecutor), so they cannot make waves. This Prosecutor is now the Judge (still incompetent). Is this what is called justice? The Court has ruined the lives of at least 6 families in this one bad judgment - Can this be justice or would you call it revenue & benefits?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-36259517808080570752018-12-12T12:04:13.060-06:002018-12-12T12:04:13.060-06:00I don't disagree. I guess where I'm point...I don't disagree. I guess where I'm pointing though is by moving registration entierly to jury sentencing it removes it as a bargaining chip for prosecutors on plea deals so they have to use real tangible punishments. Right now you can plea to a sex crime with lifetime registration but only a few years probation. To me that lifetime registration is either a pronouncement that the treatment provided on probation is meaningless or these people are unreformable, so why are we getting them off so lightly?<br /><br />Now if you can only be registered by jury the prosecutor can't claim a win with just a short probation, they'll have to seek meaningful punishment, and if the defendant won't accept it then they face registration at trial. How many people are going to gamble on being on the sex offender registry?<br /><br />But either way what we have (across all crimes, not just sex crimes) is a tragically flawed system and I refuse to applaud prosecutors for making do with broken tools.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-31080940285570909192018-12-12T11:07:16.083-06:002018-12-12T11:07:16.083-06:00@10:41, I can tell you in this county it's the...@10:41, I can tell you in this county it's the DEFENDANTS who don't want to go to trial on sex crimes. Rest assured, if juries in this county could treat most sex offenses as a capital crime, they would be happy to do so. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-79572329293481486392018-12-12T10:41:54.137-06:002018-12-12T10:41:54.137-06:00What would you rather pay for? Hamburger buns or j...What would you rather pay for? Hamburger buns or justice?<br /><br />I'm not saying every case has to go to trial, prosecutors need to work with victims to find justice even if it means plea deals, and really are you going to quibble over registration? But if you think someone should get a life sentence (which let's be honest, the sex offender registry is) it should be decided at trial just like any other capital crime should be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-15765423044911657032018-12-12T10:31:29.898-06:002018-12-12T10:31:29.898-06:00@9:40...That all sounds really great in principle....@9:40...That all sounds really great in principle. You want to tell that to all the parents of 4 and 5 year old victims that if they choose to go forward with filing child molestation charges their child is inevitably going to have to go to court to testify? Or the 11 year old rape victim who's afraid of having to go to court to confront her attacker and is also fearful of her life being ruined once everyone finds out what happened to her?<br /><br />Are you prepared for the inevitable tax increase that will result from all the jury trials and subsequent appeals (cost of court appointed attorneys for trial and appeals, cost of the court reporter preparing the trial record, etc.) For an indigent defense system that is already terribly underfunded, you better hang onto your pocketbook because the cost is about to significantly increase. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-38786606307421160172018-12-12T09:40:35.622-06:002018-12-12T09:40:35.622-06:00Thank you, Grits, for a thoughtful piece. As a re...Thank you, Grits, for a thoughtful piece. As a restorative justice practitioner I know the weight a voice such as yours carries. Lauren, thank you for the compassionate challenge to 2:04. Indeed, more violence has never taught anyone less violence. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-86854949377886983962018-12-12T09:17:56.558-06:002018-12-12T09:17:56.558-06:00If any cases were being settled at trial anymore I...If any cases were being settled at trial anymore I might agree with you, but in this case and the stark majority of cases everything is a plea deal. Prosecutorial discretion settles more than 90% of all cases, we need that knocked down to something far more reasonable where they are using their discretion to choose who to prosecute and when to apply pre-trial diversions instead of what the final punishment should be.<br /><br />Any case that can result in sex offender registration should be settled by judry. If they want to plea a defendant out then they have to accept that it wasn't worth persuing to the fullest extent of the law. Prosecutors plea out so many sex crimes for probation (sending sex offenders right back home to the community) because the shorter sentence on their couch is better than prison (an easy win), but the lifetime registration is a life sentence.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-8227079563941625112018-12-12T08:58:09.576-06:002018-12-12T08:58:09.576-06:00These cases are every prosecutor's worst night...These cases are every prosecutor's worst nightmare. Any outcome you obtain is going to make someone upset. Do you attempt to appease the victim and the "me too" movement by attempting to obtain a maximum sentence? If you really believe the defendant committed the crime and deserves some measure of justice or supervision, do you risk a "not guilty" verdict in the sort of case where victim judging and blaming is all too common? Do you attempt to appease the media by throwing them some "red meat?" Do you attempt to fashion individual justice for a young offender who might hopefully have learned his lesson and not reoffend--thereby fulfilling your obligation "not to seek convictions but see that justice is done?" The easiest approach is simply to tea it up in a jury trial and let the chips fall where they may. But even that approach is likely to result in much second guessing regardless of the outcome. One thing is for certain though, these are the cases that best exemplify the need for prosecutorial discretion and independence. At the end of the day, justice should not be based upon the wishes of just the victim, the media, the social justice warriors or anything other than the law and the evidence. I don't know that the prosecutor's in this case made the right decision. But kudos to the them for having the cajones to make a tough decision that obviously was not likely to be popular. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-24408210047072106662018-12-12T07:43:23.939-06:002018-12-12T07:43:23.939-06:00First off; I have never met an honest judge in my ...First off; I have never met an honest judge in my life. I know someone who was given 20 years under law of parties for being in the same apartment when a sexual assault occurred. After she did 75% of her sentence, she had to registry for life on the sex offender list. But, she was a brown hispanic woman versus the white frat boy. You get the justice you can afford to pay for in this country.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-61288914167816157692018-12-12T05:28:03.347-06:002018-12-12T05:28:03.347-06:00Get work as always Grits. Thank you for such in de...Get work as always Grits. Thank you for such in depth research. I will be posting a copy here: <br />http://sexoffenderfaq.blogspot.com/p/new-blogs-part-10-11-updated-december.htmlSOFAQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06314771579895547336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-7983219122217018182018-12-12T03:56:38.034-06:002018-12-12T03:56:38.034-06:00This frat boy showed his true colors when he was r...This frat boy showed his true colors when he was raping and choking out his victim. He is at least a sociopath and most likely a psychopath. For those of you who don't know a sociopath is made and a psychopath is born. Neither is likely to change but a sociopath can at least respond to a correction applied by our justice system such as being incarcerated. That is a punishment that the sociopath would find so imposing and distatasteful that, once discharged, he would avoid reoffending at least the most violent part (the choking) of his crime but will continue to belittle, disrespect, and manipulate women into being raped again. If this guy is a psychopath then he will revisit our judicial system again and likely for the same crime.<br /><br />Either way this little slap to his pee pee is just enough to irritate him and reinforce his belief that he can offend again and beat the system again even more than he already has. <br /><br />What has happened here is that any opportunity to change "junior's' behavior via the Texas Department of CORRECTIONS has been lost thus encouraging him to reoffend and this time the next woman may die in the dirt just as he intended this one to do. <br /><br />I would also like to pass a message to his current victim that has been so tragically abused a second time by the same system she looked to for help and support but was mindlessly and bitterly disappointed... If it makes any difference I think you are one of the bravest women in the world. Much more courageous than the DA who abandoned you in court when you needed her the most. With your personality you are destined for great things be it having and empowering your children or leading others in a righteous cause. You are someone who can be trusted. Unlike many others involved in your life to date. I hope you move forward to meet your calling whatever it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-51724601034092186542018-12-11T21:58:11.206-06:002018-12-11T21:58:11.206-06:00“It’s my opinion that our jurors aren’t ready to b...“It’s my opinion that our jurors aren’t ready to blame rapists and not victims when there isn’t concrete proof of more than one victim.”<br /><br />To ADA Hilary LaBorde-<br />Please don't presume to know what "Us Simpletons" are thinking. We are not as ignorant as you assume. Some of us even have bachelors degrees, PhDs, MDs, and also law degrees...similar to yourself. If you do your job correctly, we will make up our own minds based on the evidence presented.<br /><br />Yes, you might lose at trial. But, is your ego so frail as to not even attempt a trial? Because what you did...is not a win. Not.Even.Close.<br /><br />You should really consider why you became a prosecutor, why you want to serve the Public's interest (especially since you have such disdain for juries).<br /><br />Or resign.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-74344072409918328282018-12-11T17:38:13.887-06:002018-12-11T17:38:13.887-06:005:28PM, while I can't disagree. Henry Garza i...5:28PM, while I can't disagree. Henry Garza is horrible too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-24232716187076712132018-12-11T17:28:22.400-06:002018-12-11T17:28:22.400-06:00So you'd rather innocent people be arrested on...So you'd rather innocent people be arrested on trumped up charges and cost the county a mountain of money, and rapists be set free? I for one wouldn't trade one shit DA for another, I'd hang them both from the tallest tree...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-31326087821758761912018-12-11T17:21:28.232-06:002018-12-11T17:21:28.232-06:00The adjacent Bell County has a DA that is so lax, ...The adjacent Bell County has a DA that is so lax, crime continues rise. You can't turn on the local news without hearing of daily shootings, robberies, etc. in Bell County. I'd rather have an Abel Reyna than Henry Garza.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-25972949001527898452018-12-11T17:15:14.648-06:002018-12-11T17:15:14.648-06:00As a sex offender this outcome was especially diff...As a sex offender this outcome was especially difficult for me to read for reasons intrinsic to myself and also my experience being treated by the state. I feel the most heartfelt grief for the victim, both for the pain of her assault and also for the sting of the states fluctuating "rate of exchange" when it comes to the "price" of justice in sex crime cases. Without treatment I'm skeptical that Anderson will find a path of lifelong attonement that many offenders have learned to embrace even with the cost being a lifelong unpaid debt.<br /><br />From someone who knows, I'm very sorry for the Victim, and for all the people of Texas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-25962434587125539562018-12-11T16:43:01.352-06:002018-12-11T16:43:01.352-06:00As a woman who has survived a violent rape I think...As a woman who has survived a violent rape I think it's important that when we ask for accountability we do so without being nonchalant about supporting rape culture which is what the comment about "Tyrone" which also carries some problematic racial undertones. Rape isn't okay, even if you think the person deserves it, even if they are in prison, even if they are there for rape. We can't solve problems with the same thinking that brought them. Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12306046633794082468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-37081385843812780462018-12-11T14:04:56.712-06:002018-12-11T14:04:56.712-06:00“Judge” (and I use the term loosely) Strother is a...“Judge” (and I use the term loosely) Strother is a Baylor grad, and sock puppet for the now disgraced McClendon County DA, the now de-elected and under FBI investigation, Mr. Abel Reyna, another Baylor grad. If memory serves correctly, these two mokes were at one time law partners, an obvious conflict of interest. Hopefully, the voters of McClendon county will de-elect Strother in 2020 and he can go back into practice with Reyna, assuming Reyna is not indicted or imprisoned by then.<br /><br />After swearing in, as his first official act, hopefully the DA elect, Mr. Barry Johnson will fire the ADA Hilary LaBorde who negotiated this deal and didn’t even show up in court for Anderson’s sentencing. This sentence is a slap in the face to the victim, and Strother disgraced “justice” by accepting such a light plea bargain.<br /><br />This frat boy Anderson should have received at least 15-20 years at a tough Texas prison, with a very large man named “Tyrone” as his cell mate to teach that frat boy the “social graces” of prison life. - Just like any other rapist. It appears that Daddy’s money and political connections resulted in such a light sentence.<br /><br />I hope that some honest and enterprising Baylor grad has started a sewage pumping service, as both the McClendon County courthouse and Baylor U need to be pumped out.......<br /><br />Then there’s the Ken Star $2,500,000 severance pay thingy….. - And let’s NOT forget the 120 or so bikers who were arrested 3 ½ years ago, held on $1,000,000 bails (by a former DPS Trooper, another Baylor grad, then a JP )– And OH – The charges were dropped and now they’re trying to get their confiscated stuff back. That’s McClendon County “justice”………It’s a sewer up there………<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com