Excessive Sentencing?

[David Fryer]

Last month, a young man who killed three people while driving drunk was sentenced to 51 years in prison. He as on probation for DWI when he hit the minivan carrying the three victims. Story My question to all the lawyers on this boardis, is this sentence reasonable or is it excessive? I can see it from both sides and I would love to hear the opinion of the great legal minds here on this topic.

[LazarX]

David Fryer wrote:

Last month, a young man who killed three people while driving drunk was sentenced to 51 years in prison. He as on probation for DWI when he hit the minivan carrying the three victims. Story My question to all the lawyers on this boardis, is this sentence reasonable or is it excessive? I can see it from both sides and I would love to hear the opinion of the great legal minds here on this topic.

Considering that you're probably not going to be posting the entire transcript of the trial on these boards, there is no chance for anything other than rhetorical posturing in continuing on this topic. It's not as if a choice was made between the extremes of a slap on the wrist and a ride to the electric chair. Unless this person is extremely young, the sentence is effectively life in prison, even though parole hasn't been entirely closed out.

In many ways this country is a culture of the automobile. Which means that there are going to be a lot of people behind the wheel which have no buisness being there.

[David Fryer]

If there are transcripts of the trial on-line I have not been able to locate them. As far as parole goes, the young man is not going to be eligible for 49 years. And yes, this is an entirely academic exercise since as near as I am aware of there is nobody on the forum that was involved in the case. However that does not mean that it is futile to discuss it in general terms since that is what law school students and, I would imagine, lawyers do as part of their learning process.

[LazarX]

They do it by referencing papers and making large large blocks of statements. They don't call law school "The Paper Chase" for nothing.

They also argue by listing ALL the facts and details, concerning perpetrators and victims. Something that's beyond the scope fo this venue.

[IkeDoe]

Looks more reasonable than 3 years in jail for getting out of the road and killing 4 pedestrians (plus two others that will be in a wheelchair forever) like happens every time in my country, you are lucky living in a place where drugs or alcohol aren't free licenses to kill imho.