Monday, May 02, 2005

Slap on the Wrist

It turns out the defendants we recently convicted for unlawful entry (see "I was Martin Balsam" below) will not be spending a night or more in the slammer. The Washington Post reports that the guilty parties were ordered to pay $100 fines and $50 to a victims fund.

Frankly I expected the penalties to be a bit heavier. And considering the time and energy (not to mention taxpayers' dollars) put into this trial, it certainly feels a bit incongruous.

Also of interest are the ages of the defendants, ranging from 19 to 28 years of age, though the cofounder of the activist group is supposedly 20. I presume this is a typo since she struck me as closer to 40.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"considering the time and energy (not to mention taxpayers' dollars) put into this trial, it certainly feels a bit incongruous."

Come on now, Vic. The District is getting back nine HUNDRED dollars! Woo-hoo!

BTW - are you a "sentencing guidelines" kind of guy, or a "leave it to the judge's discretion" kind of guy?

It is times like this that renew one's faith in the usefulness of sentencing guidelines. OK, not really, since we're talking misdemeanor here, but still.

That Dude said...

"though the cofounder of the activist group is supposedly 20. I presume this is a typo since she struck me as closer to 40."

When u dont shower for 5 years and follow Phish around the country it can put some years on your body.