XPost: alt.law-enforcement, alt.disney.disneyworld   
   From: nobody@cypherpunks.to   
      
   >Earlier this week, Chartrand rejected a plea offer that would have given   
   >him probation.   
      
   Swell Chap!  The most free and democratic country in the world was ready to   
   convict and sentence "Tigger" to 15 years in prison for a mere touch.  And   
   I thought murder gets on average eight years in the States.  I guess a   
   woman's titties is worth more than a man's head.   
      
   In the U.S., the standard practise is to "stack the charges" rather than to   
   make one, prime charge against the defendant.  That way, for a minor   
   offence, he faces a hundred years in jail instead of a hundred Dollar fine.   
   Then, the District Attorney offers a "plea bargain" with the promise to   
   reduce the hundred years down to say 30 days and probation.   
      
   In Tigger's case, the completely innocent defendant was offered probation   
   in leu of 15 years.  What does that really mean?  It means that innocent   
   man would have been saddled with a FELONY CONVICTION,  been a house-bound   
   prisoner for years, have to register as a SEX OFFENDER,  and then been   
   DEPORTED as an undesirable alien.  All for doing nothing.  Never, ever plea   
   bargain unless you know you're guilty and have no possiblity of winning   
   your case.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)