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Judge gives child-rapist 60-day sentence (says 'Anger doesn't solve anything')
WorldNetDaily ^ | January 6, 2005

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."


TOPICS: US: Vermont
KEYWORDS: aclu; cashman; childmolestors; edwardcashman; judicialactivism; pedophilia; rape; sexualabuse; vermont
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To: RabidBartender

"An inept judiciary, failing to administer justice, encourages vigilantism."

EXACTLY!!! Who knows, maybe that's what the judge was going for...the most that the vigilante actor would receive is 60 days, right??? In this case, the judge just saved taxpayers a boatload of money!!! /S

R3


61 posted on 01/06/2006 7:23:11 AM PST by RedRightReturn (Even a broken clock is right twice a day...)
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To: NYer

How does one become a stockbroker (or a terrorist, as I think of it) in Vermont??

If this scumbag gets 60 days for repeatedly raping a 7 yr old for 4 years, what can I get for a little fraud, embezzelment, insider trading etc? Three hours of community service (running a copier at the Dem club) and the stern admonishment of 'BAD BOY, BAD BOY'!

HA HA HA, eat your heart out Martha Stewart, you got almost a year for fibbing to the feds. In Vermont you would have had to fold the napkins at the homeless shelter for a day.


62 posted on 01/06/2006 7:29:11 AM PST by Shooter1001
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To: Blzbba

Of course anger solves things. People should get angry and demand this evil, evil judge's removal from the bench. We should stay angry until he's gone.


63 posted on 01/06/2006 7:31:44 AM PST by Uncle Vlad
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To: silverleaf
I would assume that if his grandchild was raped, repeatedly, the judge would be sanguine with 60 days for the offender.

My first thought as well...then I realized that the jerk would probably justify the rapes by saying "If she'd only been aborted, this never would have happened."

64 posted on 01/06/2006 7:41:54 AM PST by grellis ("I don't know...what does your mom say?")
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To: gaspar
Vermont Freepers complain that readers love to dump on their state. I wonder why?

Visit Vermont, but don't bring your children along unless the know karate, kung foo or tai kwondo.

65 posted on 01/06/2006 7:43:45 AM PST by capt. norm (Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.)
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To: NYer

Unfortunately there are too many judges who feel the same way. Impeach!


66 posted on 01/06/2006 7:44:58 AM PST by R.W.Ratikal
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To: NYer

Unfortunately there are too many judges who feel the same way. Impeach!


67 posted on 01/06/2006 7:45:14 AM PST by R.W.Ratikal
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To: Shooter1001
"If this scumbag gets 60 days for repeatedly raping a 7 yr old for 4 years, what can I get for a little fraud, embezzlement, insider trading etc? Three hours of community service (running a copier at the Dem club) and the stern admonishment of 'BAD BOY, BAD BOY'! "



Depends on if your a Christian or God hater. Republican or baby killer-I mean- democrat. If you believe in right & wrong/Republican you would get life. If you think there is no right and wrong you get to be a judge in Vermont.


Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-the Lord detests them both. Proverbs
68 posted on 01/06/2006 7:45:29 AM PST by Linda Sandoval (Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-the Lord detests them both. Proverbs)
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To: NYer
Can't believe its not a Scrappleface article bump!
:-(
69 posted on 01/06/2006 7:46:23 AM PST by Tunehead54 (Nothing funny here ;-)
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra
Cute, but sadly true.

Thats exactly the message the judge has sent the rapists of society: "Don't just commit one rape....commit a series of rapes over a period of time, preferable on the same person, and the judge won't see you as a criminal but 'sick' person-- so instead of jail time you'll get therapy".

Great message Judge.

Is there a sickness of habitual speeding with the same car for four years? I could use that to great effect. I'm sick you see.

BTW- I don't believe compulsion is a defense for knowing the difference between Right and Wrong. He chose not to seek help and instead commit a crime. For FOUR YEARS.

I have zero sympathy for this scumbag.
70 posted on 01/06/2006 7:48:56 AM PST by DesignerChick
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To: NYer
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

Why not just flip all the cards and call the judge what he is: an idiot.

71 posted on 01/06/2006 7:53:14 AM PST by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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To: DesignerChick

I can understand the outrage over this decision but I hope that when tempers cool a bit someone will consider the points that the judge made:

Lengthy incarcerations are expensive and don't seem particularly effective at altering behaviors anyway.

Letting someone out of prison after a long term of incarceration and making him register as a sex offender destroys any chance of his obtaining a decent job and being too busy working to re-offend; it only gives him a sentence of poverty, idleness, frustration, alcoholism, community scorn and other things not likely to lead to law abiding behavior.

I don't know if this defendant will re-offend or not. I think the sentence is a bit too lenient, but it will be an interesting experiment. Certainly the judge is correct in his statement that punishment does not seem to work.


72 posted on 01/06/2006 7:56:30 AM PST by TinkersDam
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To: Restorer

In Louisiana by law the perp would be executed. Child rape is a capitol offense.


73 posted on 01/06/2006 7:57:46 AM PST by Bogey78O (<thinking of new tagline>)
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To: NYer

A similar thing happened here in Mass with judge Lopez a few years back. The ensuing firestorm eventually caused her to resign. Of course I recently read that she's now been offered her own daytime judge show on TV soon.


74 posted on 01/06/2006 8:05:10 AM PST by mowowie
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To: Bogey78O
In Louisiana by law the perp would be executed.

Do you know if this law has ever been carried out? In the period since the Supreme Court interfered with the death penalty, I mean. My understanding is that the Supremes invalidated capital punishment for all but extreme cases of murder. "Ordinary" murders don't qualify.

The problem with capital punishment laws for rape and such crimes is that they would tend to result in a much lower number of convictions. And that, when dealing with adults, people do lie about whether the sex was consensual.

(Children lie too, but your're not supposed to be having sex with them at all, so consequensuality is irrelevant.)

Otherwise I'd be all for them.

75 posted on 01/06/2006 8:10:11 AM PST by Restorer
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To: NYer

Then we have that other judge here in Mass who recently told the Rape victim to "Get over it"....


76 posted on 01/06/2006 8:12:35 AM PST by mowowie
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To: NYer

A message to all you child molesters and pedophiles out there across the fruited plain: "Welcome to Vermont!"


77 posted on 01/06/2006 8:14:11 AM PST by who knows what evil? (New England...the Sodom and Gomorrah of the 21st Century, and they're proud of it!)
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To: laxin4him

all he has to do is request segregation for his protection and he will get a private room and eveything brought to him for the length of his sentence.


78 posted on 01/06/2006 8:15:40 AM PST by bdfromlv (Leavenworth hard time)
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To: Vision
Great maple syrup though, buy grade B.

America has quit buying French wine; maybe it is time America quit buying Vermont syrup.

79 posted on 01/06/2006 8:18:10 AM PST by who knows what evil? (New England...the Sodom and Gomorrah of the 21st Century, and they're proud of it!)
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To: who knows what evil?

Do you think the rural maple syrup farmer is the state's problem?


80 posted on 01/06/2006 8:22:40 AM PST by Vision (“We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the duty of intelligent men")
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