Posts Tagged with Judges

Poor Judgments of Judges – Part 2

Abuse, Links, News
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Here’s another example of a judge who is worried more about the rapist than he is about the victim in the case of the Palmer High School student who raped 2 girls, and is getting no significant punishment at all. David Becker will not spend one second in jail and will not have to register as a sex offender because the judge wants him to be able to enjoy the college experience. <click here to read the article>

Let’s not forget the disastrous, ruling in the Brock Turner case. He was caught sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster, and when confronted he tried to run away. He was sentenced to only 6 months prison time, and ended up serving only 3 months of that 6 month prison time. <click here to read one of the articles> I have written two posts about this case. You can read these posts here: Part 1 and Part 2.

In the two cases of David Becker and Brock Turner, their supporters sight their accomplishments in their sports fields as a testament of their character. I don’t know how a person’s athletic success determines whether or not a person is capable of a crime, or should mean they shouldn’t have to face real consequences for criminal actions. Their supporters worry how actual consequences to the criminal acts they have committed will effect the future of these two guys. I don’t understand how people can ignore the life time effects victims will have to face due to no fault of their own, but because of a choice someone else made. The one who makes the choice to violate another does not face more nor harsher life altering effects than the victim. It’s high time the justice system stops acting as though the rapist’s life is harmed more than the victim.

Yes, the rapist’s life is altered and changed; however, they are the only ones responsible for that change. They were the ones who made the choice to violate another person, and as such they should face those consequences. People and Judges need to stop acting as though a predator and rapist doesn’t make the choice to violate another as though it’s just some mysterious thing that magically happens; which makes them just as innocent as the victim…in fact they are victims too [can you picture my eyes rolling in the back of my head because they are]. People need to get their heads out of their own butts, and realize these predators made a choice to violate another person. They may argue the predator made a poor judgment. This goes beyond poor judgement. Regardless if it was “poor judgement”  or whatever you want to call it; it doesn’t change the fact that it was still a choice. Their victims sure don’t have a choice nor the luxury of not having to face the consequences of being violated in such a horrible and unthinkable way. Victims not only pay the highest price for what another person has chosen to do to them, but they also carry the heaviest burden for it.

Poor Judgments of Judges – Part 1

Poor Judgment Of Judges – Part 1

Abuse, Links, News
Posted on Leave a comment on Poor Judgment Of Judges – Part 1

I’m so sick of seeing headlines where judges are giving what amounts to a free pass to predators. I read an article about a judge in the UK who spared jail time to a guy, Richard Arrowsmith, who’s computer was full of child pornographic pictures and videos. The reason why this judge spared jail time is absolute asinine; he spared this guy jail time so this predator could start a family of his own!!! How could this judge possibly think it’s okay to let this man have kids!!! I suppose the authorities in the UK won’t have to worry about this guy downloading child pornography because they are allowing him to have a child of his own to abuse. <click here to read the article>

Richard Arrowsmith admitted to downloading child pornography over the last 4 years. Just incase there may be someone out there who thinks, “He’s only been doing it for 4 years. That’s not too bad”. Here’s a look at the amount of child pornography he had on his computer at the time it was sized; Here’s a quote from the article:

a large number could not be categorised due to the sheer amount of movies and pictures, including 4,336 videos and 137,000 images…Overall there were 1,692 movies and images ranging from Category A [which is the worst] to C as well as the 4,336 videos and 137,000 images that remained uncategorised.

Richard Arrowsmith was only sentenced to 10 months in prison [which was suspended so he could start a family of his own], ordered to pay £250 [which is about $309], and ordered to work 160 unpaid hours, abide by curfew hours, register as a sex offender, and is banned from working with children!!

Let that sink in. He is banned from ever working with children, but the judge is suspending his prison sentence so he and his wife can have children!! How does that make any sense at all!! The judge sighted Arrowsmith’s “good” record since he doesn’t have prior convictions as a rational for suspending the prison sentence. This is a bit of a sore spot for me. My step-dad didn’t have a prior criminal record of sexually assaulting children or anyone for that matter; Does that make him less of a threat to others? No! Not at all. I find it beyond naive to think just because a person doesn’t have a prior criminal record of abuse this somehow makes them: a safe person, a good person who made a bad mistake; someone who you can still trust to not assault someone again; to act as though what they did was no big deal; etc.

Child pornography is far from a victimless crime! There are real children being abused who need rescuing in those pictures and videos. Downloading such horrible images and videos tells the person who is doing the physical abusing what they are doing is acceptable and wanted by others; thus creating a community of support for the abusers. A person who gets aroused by child pornography is no less of a threat than a person who physically abuses a child; they are simply a time-bomb ready to go off when the right opportunity presents it’s self.

What is wrong with all these judges who keep making these horrible rulings? They seem to want to take away the stigma of the “Sex Offender” label as though it’s not (or shouldn’t be) a big deal to be a sex offender. I wonder if these judges take even a nano-second to consider the message they are sending?

To victims they are saying what they have gone through isn’t a big deal; their healing, and ability to see the person who has violated them be held accountable isn’t important; because making sure the predator isn’t scarred by the “Sex Offender” label is more important…(<insert heavy sarcasm>) you know because being abused or assaulted doesn’t scar a person at all. It tells people why bother reporting abuse or an assault because nothing will be done anyways. The effort simply won’t seem worth it. Victims will think, “Why bother reporting it. The system will treat me like crap, and for what? To either see nothing at all be done, or to see something that amounts to less than a wrist slap as a form of accountability for what the perpetrator has done”.

To the public at large, it says, “Hey you got nothing to really worry about. Saying alcohol was involved in some way, that you were just having some fun, or I just looked at those pictures and videos. I didn’t create or distribute them. Will all be enough to get you out of this predicament that you are in. Don’t worry about that “Sex Offender” label because we are working on making it no big deal so you won’t have to worry about it”. Rape culture is only perpetuate by these slap on the wrist sentences. People of the world will never take rape and abuse seriously if the justice systems of the world doesn’t take it seriously.