Girl Receives 12 Months In Jail, Her Rapist Gets Probation

[David Fryer]

A girl in New York City was sentenced to 12 months in jail for telling police she did not know who attacked and injured her at school while her rapist, a jail worker and serial rapist, get probation. Talk about a miscarriage of justice.

[Robert Hawkshaw]

I'd be interested in seeing what plea arrangement he made with the prosecution, those typically come with a sentence recommendation...

Ahh, his plea deal got thrown out by the judge.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/15/tony-simmons-counselor-ac_n_783851 .html

[Chris Mortika]

Generally speaking, I hold my tongue when articles like this come about, because there's never enough space in an article to get the full account. But probation for a man who used his power over vulnerable teenagers torape them over an extended period of time?

I don't think the full account would change my mind about that.

[Robert Hawkshaw]

And he's in jail now.

http://newyorkcriminallawyersblog.com/2011/02/tony-simmons-sentenced-to-pri son-for-sexual-assault-charges.html

[David Fryer]

That's good to know, but as a law student it still bothers me that he would have even been offered the deal.

[Robert Hawkshaw]

Hard to prove years after the fact. One of your witnesses was a girl who was sent to prison for a year for lying to the police and while in prison managed to get her sentence extended to 3 years for disciplinary issues, huge credibility issue.

Some DA took the easy way out.

There is also this funnel effect with regards to police and related peoples misconduct, where a whole system steps in to minimize and divert blame and punishment.. I'll see if I can find the name, its not the correctional funnel.

[DM Wellard]

Robert Hawkshaw wrote:

Hard to prove years after the fact. One of your witnesses was a girl who was sent to prison for a year for lying to the police and while in prison managed to get her sentence extended to 3 years for disciplinary issues, huge credibility issue.

Lets just ignore the fact that she had the disciplinary issues because she had been raped in the first place.From the wording of the report it seems the so called Counsellors were more intent on punishing this girl than helping her.

Or perhaps you think she deserved it?

[Lord Fyre]

Chris Mortika wrote:

Generally speaking, I hold my tongue when articles like this come about, because there's never enough space in an article to get the full account.

You are assuming that anyone cared to get a full accounting of the facts in the first place.

Now a days, it seems that getting the story first matters more to the News Corporations then getting the story right.

[LazarX]

Lord Fyre wrote:

Chris Mortika wrote:

Generally speaking, I hold my tongue when articles like this come about, because there's never enough space in an article to get the full account.

You are assuming that anyone cared to get a full accounting of the facts in the first place.

Now a days, it seems that getting the story first matters more to the News Corporations then getting the story right.

In this context, how would you judge John Stewart's "The Daily Show"?

[Lord Fyre]

LazarX wrote:

Lord Fyre wrote:

Chris Mortika wrote:

Generally speaking, I hold my tongue when articles like this come about, because there's never enough space in an article to get the full account.

You are assuming that anyone cared to get a full accounting of the facts in the first place.

Now a days, it seems that getting the story first matters more to the News Corporations then getting the story right.

In this context, how would you judge John Stewart's "The Daily Show"?

Paradoxically, since it honestly sets out to be "Infotanment" it often does a better job of actual reporting then some News programs.

[LazarX]

I guess it adds a new level of irony since reviews indicate that John Stewart has replaced the late Walter Cronkite as the most trusted news source in America.

[Evil Lincoln]

LazarX wrote:

I guess it adds a new level of irony since reviews indicate that John Stewart has replaced the late Walter Cronkite as the most trusted news source in America.

It took nothing more than his earnest protests against this to earn our collective trust.

[LazarX]

Evil Lincoln wrote:

LazarX wrote:

I guess it adds a new level of irony since reviews indicate that John Stewart has replaced the late Walter Cronkite as the most trusted news source in America.

It took nothing more than his earnest protests against this to earn our collective trust.

Don't know if you meant to put a link there, but did you mean his famous or infamous showdown on "Crossfire"?

[Robert Hawkshaw]

DM Wellard wrote:

Robert Hawkshaw wrote:

Hard to prove years after the fact. One of your witnesses was a girl who was sent to prison for a year for lying to the police and while in prison managed to get her sentence extended to 3 years for disciplinary issues, huge credibility issue.

Lets just ignore the fact that she had the disciplinary issues because she had been raped in the first place.From the wording of the report it seems the so called Counsellors were more intent on punishing this girl than helping her.

Or perhaps you think she deserved it?

Woah there nelly. That's the opposite of what I think. He's a disgusting child abusing rapist and should rot.

I was just pointing out that when you have a he said she said situation and a burden of proof of beyond a reasonable doubt it doesn't help the prosecution if one of the witnesses has been convicted of an offence of filing falsified police reports. It is probably the reason they couldn't get the rape charge to stick in the end and he was only convicted for assaulting the other two girls. It sucks.

[Bitter Thorn]

Unfortunately this is a common problem with child services and juvenile corrections.

I find it remarkable how rarely these things make the news, but many authorities are eager to plea bargain these things away or just bury them altogether. Very few sexual assaults against children are ever investigated let alone prosecuted.