Two recent tragic cases in our local court systems one in New Albany (Floyd Co.) the other in Jeffersonville (Clark Co.) seem to show the disparity in how justice is meted out. First of all the BatBlog doesn't know all the details or have inside information on either case, but inequities do seem to appear. The first case in N.A. where a girl who was riding in the car that fire bombed a N.A. residence resulting in the tragic death of 3 children received a 20 year sentence ...the story CLICK HERE....The other case in Jeffersonville where the defendant allegedly drove a golf cart while intoxicated, and crashed that resulted in the death of his friend and the alleged driver received only probation....the story CLICK HERE.
The BatBlog realizes that one case was accidental (Jeff case) while the other (New Albany) was an intentional act but there was no proof the girl in the N.A. case was nothing more than a passenger, and not a willing participant. 20 years seems like an over the top , harsh sentence especially when the girl was only 18 years old.
In the Jeff case it appears there was conflicting testimony on who actually was driving the vehicle and the case was plea bargained down to a misdemeanor. It seems like too light of a sentence in our opinion considering there was a loss of life involved.Our justice and legal system while good, isn't perfect or sometimes doesn't even seem fair Justice isn't always equally handed down and these cases are a glaring examples....
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Another example of no justice - and also ties back to the failed drug war:
ReplyDeletehttp://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/05/baby-in-coma-after-police-grenade-dropped-in-crib-during-drug-raid/
The cops will not get any time behind bars for basically doing the same thing that happened in New Albany. The cops are just fortunate the toddler hasn't died.
No amount of meth in that house would have made what happened to that baby "justifiable". He was INNOCENT.
Yeah that's a sad story Tina, Wonder when the feds and local law enforcement will realize the "war on drugs" has been and is doomed to fail.
ReplyDeleteAnother strategy needs to be looked out...we are just throwing away money and you have these tragic events like the one you just linked...
Most of the drug arrests in Floyd and Clark Co. are low level addicts. It has zero effect on the amount of drugs in the community. Police tactics are basically sick and very disturbing. They promise a sick, chemically dependent person that they will help them in some way. All they have to do is encourage their addicted friends to give or sell them some pills. Major drug dealers don't go to jail or prison for possessing or selling a few pills. The self righteous prosecutors prosecute the addicts with a vengeance. Then declare a major drug dealer was taken off the street. Pure political bull shit.If of course, praise the lord, the junkie is a family member or close friend of the prosecutor, they elude prosecution. The feds have realized the war on drugs is a failure. It won't end as the war finances an entire industry that benefits from peoples misery.
ReplyDeleteAnother update:
ReplyDeletehttp://reason.com/blog/2014/05/30/sheriff-in-burned-baby-raid-wants-your-p
Agreed our jails and courts are bogged down and over crowded with low level drug users and dealers. Then we have the drug court which was run like a Nazi prison camp.
ReplyDeleteIncarceration and fines does nothing to help these drug users, it just perpetuates a vicious cycle that drains tax funds....
Interesting indeed is how we have scores and scores of drug busts of nobodies...
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile decades pass without getting the source of the drugs.
Realize that the source is organized, sophisticated and very wealthy. That's a fact. But for all the posing the cops and prosecutors do......their idea of a big bust is a low level courier...too scared to roll.