Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

St. Louis legal system? Kafkaesque situation? What a blemish on an otherwise perfect record!

I think there's a public interest issue here, as in whether it is in the public interest to lock him up given his change in character after a long time, what does imprisonment achieve? Further I think as you have the right to a trial in good time, other decisions also have to be made in good time so as not to be overly disruptive to your life. It's questionably cruel to leave a person get on with their life for over a decade before springing their sentence upon them, especially if they have rebuilt a new life and this have a lot more to lose through the upheaval. He's certainly a criminal but was always easily available for sentencing and the authorities didn't do so for over a decade. There's got to be a point where it's unproductive and unreasonable to pick it up. You could argue he should have written to the court to ask when he was going to prison, it's not really his job.

 Overread wrote:
Eh he's made no attempt to hide; he's rehabilitated himself (which should be the primary intent of the courts and judicial system). I'd argue that even though he should serve some punishment it should not be the original 13 years. Give him community service or a significantly reduced sentence. I don't think the court can let him get away with nothing, but certainly it sounds like he's worked on improving himself and that should be rewarded (afterall the intent of prison is to rehabilitate - or at least it should be)

Your post made me see this case in a very interesting light. This is literally a real life example of RAW vs RAI...

On one hand, the guy turned his life around, became a productive member of society, and is a textbook example of how at-risk individuals can one day make a better life for themselves and their communities.

On the other, for-profit prisons need bodies.

A person has to pay for their crimes.
What percentage is punishment and rehabilitation?

Some consideration of the "threat" of it being enacted for an extended length of time would need to be considered.

Due to "good behavior" (which is a common consideration for parole) and a change in circumstance, some amendment of the punishment would be warranted.

If I was to guess at something reasonable:

1) Reduce sentence both for wait time AND what would be considered rehabilitation: only do time for the punishment.

2) Make it flexible hours and to pay back somehow: blend of community service and incarceration on weekends.

Good job on him turning things around, would be a shame to be perceived as punishing good behavior.

Would be even more of a shame if losing everything and going to prison after turning his life around ended up causing him to go completely backwards and get right back into crime.

Remember, the American prison system is for, above all else, making repeat offenders to lock them away again.

This is a nice story actually.

 Fafnir wrote:
Would be even more of a shame if losing everything and going to prison after turning his life around ended up causing him to go completely backwards and get right back into crime.

Remember, the American prison system is for, above all else, making repeat offenders to lock them away again.

Having repeat customers is just good business sense!

This guy should be given a handshake, an apology and a quick six week tour on the talk shows circuit to highlight how he turned from a wasted life of crime to a productive member of society.

While I'd agree that he shouldn't get off free for a clerical issue, his situation could be put to so much better use by using his experiences to act as a speaker in high risk communities and schools.

There would be no constructive point to locking him away now. If the debt has to be paid, then have him pay it in a way that will actually help people.

And to turn things around like that, the bloke obviously isn't an idiot. If they approached him and said "we can't let you off, sorry, but we can make you just do some community service in the form of a speech a week for a few months" or something, he'd hopefully see how that's the easiest thing to do. It'd be a shame if they came up with something like that, and he refused and fought it to the end, before getting locked up or something.

Governor Steve Bullock is current "governator." Anyone want to give odds on what a Democrat Governor going to do? Or a Republican governor? In hindsight. The guy paid taxes his entire time as he squared his life away

 Jihadin wrote:
Governor Steve Bullock is current "governator." Anyone want to give odds on what a Democrat Governor going to do? Or a Republican governor? In hindsight. The guy paid taxes his entire time as he squared his life away

Huh?

My governator is Jay Nixon (D).

Woops I did Montana lol

 motyak wrote:
And to turn things around like that, the bloke obviously isn't an idiot. If they approached him and said "we can't let you off, sorry, but we can make you just do some community service in the form of a speech a week for a few months" or something, he'd hopefully see how that's the easiest thing to do. It'd be a shame if they came up with something like that, and he refused and fought it to the end, before getting locked up or something.

This right here. Can you imagine the good a man like this could do helping kids turn things around? Have him work with troubled youth, maybe teach them how to set up a real business and show them there is a way to make it, even with a sword over your head.

Also, I don't know who they'd be courting by sending this guy to jail so that they don't appear soft on crime. We have reasonably hard line conservatives, libertarians and democrats here, who all seem to agree.

 motyak wrote:
We have reasonably hard line conservatives, libertarians and democrats here, who all seem to agree.

Presumably, none of us are quite that douchy

Discretion allows the state to not exercise power specifically for this kind of thing. Nothing is achieved sending this guy to jail now. Lets discretiate

They should just pardon him as a Christian gesture at Easter.

Putting him in prison now would be very unjust and would do more harm than good.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
They should just pardon him as a Christian gesture at Easter.

Or, following that train of thought, they could put him in, and let him out in 3 days?

 motyak wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
They should just pardon him as a Christian gesture at Easter.

Or, following that train of thought, they could put him in, and let him out in 3 days?

Only if he dies, resurrects and moves a giant boulder though.

 motyak wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
They should just pardon him as a Christian gesture at Easter.

Or, following that train of thought, they could put him in, and let him out in 3 days?

I think he has to juggle brightly colored eggs lain by a bunny too, or something.

 Soladrin wrote:

 motyak wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
They should just pardon him as a Christian gesture at Easter.

Or, following that train of thought, they could put him in, and let him out in 3 days?

Only if he dies, resurrects and moves a giant boulder though.

The bolder in question wasn't all that big. ;-)

 Jihadin wrote:
Governor Steve Bullock is current "governator." Anyone want to give odds on what a Democrat Governor going to do? Or a Republican governor? In hindsight. The guy paid taxes his entire time as he squared his life away

Does anybody else think of a terminator as a governor when they hear the word governator?No?I thought so...