Posted on 01/06/2006 6:30:56 AM PST by NYer
Claiming he no longer believes in punishment, a Vermont judge issued a 60-day sentence to a man who confessed to repeatedly raping a girl over a four-year period, beginning when she was 7 years old.
Judge Edward Cashman disagreed with prosecutors who thought Mark Hulett, 34, of Williston, Vt., deserved eight to 20 years in prison, reported WCAX-TV in Burlington, Vt.
Cashman said he's more concerned now about rehabilitation.
"The one message I want to get through is that anger doesn't solve anything. It just corrodes your soul," Cashman told a packed Burlington courtroom made up mostly of people related to the victim.
Prior to the decision, Chittenden Deputy Prosecutor Nicole Andreson argued punishment "is a valid purpose."
"The state recognizes that the court may not agree or subscribe to that method of sentencing but the state does," she said, according to the Burlington TV station. "The state thinks that it is a very important factor for the court to consider."
Cashman said he wants to make sure Hulett gets sex-offender treatment.
Under Department of Corrections classification, however, Hulett is considered a low-risk for re-offense, which means he doesn't qualify for in-prison treatment.
Cashman, therefore, issued a 60-day sentence and ordered Hulett to complete sex-treatment when he gets out or face a possible life sentence.
The judge said that when he began 25 years ago, he handed down tough sentences but now believes "it accomplishes nothing of value."
"It doesn't make anything better; it costs us a lot of money; we create a lot of expectation, and we feed on anger," Cashman explained to the people in the court, WCAX reported.
Members of the victim's family were outraged.
"I don't like it," the victim's mother told the TV station, in tears. "He should pay for what he did to my baby and stop it here. She's not even home with me and he can be home for all this time, and do what he did in my house."
OMG! The Judge doesn't believe in punishment? WTF? LOL
"anger doesn't solve anything."
And letting pieces of human $hit like this back on the streets does?!
American justice is dead. Can we bury it now?
The judge is so wrong.
That little girl is angry and she will be angry all her life.
If this is a judge whose idea of justice no longer involves punishment, then he needs to be off the bench.
I would assume that if his grandchild was raped, repeatedly, the judge would be sanguine with 60 days for the offender.
Here's hoping that if ever that judge is a plaintiff in a injury lawsuit his words come back to haunt him. For any grievous injury to himself, he would deserve to be awarded the sum of $1 as anything beyond would simply be punishment.
This Judge needs to change his line of work.
He should go into the "rehab" business.
Was this judge elected or appointed?
Vermont Freepers complain that readers love to dump on their state. I wonder why?
I bet he is not a republican.
Sounds like a good place to go rob a Bank.
I think this judge needs his background and personal computer investigated. Maybe he wants to set precedence.. so when he gets caught, he won't have to serve years and years. :)
What's beneath a moron?
The problem here is not that the judge is stupid. He's probably highly intelligent.
It's that he wants to show off what he considers his moral superiority over the rest of society, at our expense.
I can buy a guy getting drunk or high and committing a single heinous act such as this. Although I doubt I could get drunk enough to do such a thing.
But continually repeating it shows a predilection to such activity. In a decent society, there would be capital punishment for such horrendous crimes.
What on earth kind of whacked out rule would state that someone who repeatedly raped a child for FOUR YEARS was at low risk for reoffense. Outrageous is hardly the word for it. This judge needs to be removed from his position immediately. I wouldn't be surprised if this offender isn't around much longer. He doesn't deserve it.
Not sure, bet he needs to be removed ASAP before he screws up again.
The evidence must have been overwhelming. In Vermont, 60 days in jail suggests a pretty serious crime. I surely hope there aren't more judges in Vermont this harsh, and something can be done about this on appeal! It will be appealed? Right?
This judge needs to be throw off the bench. This is outrageous. My heart goes out to that poor girl who will have to live in fear every day because this monster is out on the streets. 15 days in prison for every year he raped her. Horrible.
ping
Sadly, the next civil rights 'frontier' for some Libs is to decriminalize pedophilia.
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