New York, USA, a 25 year old school bus driver pleads guilty to the third-degree rape of a 14 year old girl. A Class E felony carrying the possibility of up to 4 years prison time and US$5000 in fines.
His Punishment?
10 Years probation, fees and court related costs totaling US$1375 and registration as a level one sex offender (the lowest of three levels).
That’s right, no jail time.
This man who has permanently altered the course of a young girls life has been handed a slap on the wrist and a minor expense.
The judge presiding over this case has stated he feels the decision is appropriate due to the offender having no prior arrests and only one victim.
ONLY ONE, now i don’t know about you but my view is that one is too many.
When did we become so desensitized to this kind of violence that an act of this nature can be excused because the victim is the ‘only one’?
That we can hand out a slap on the wrist and high five ourselves for a job well done because the perpetrator had managed to avoid getting in trouble until this point?
How can we justify the freedom of this man when his ‘only one’ victim will potentially spend the rest of her life mentally imprisoned by the consequences of his offending.
This is not the first time a sexual assault has been met with insignificant punishment and unless we reevaluate the importance of the victims lives it wont be the last.
-Bee
The Benedict Post 