Vermont Judge Increases Sex Offender's Penalty

[RedEarth]

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - A judge who was widely vilified for giving a child molester a 60-day jail term imposed a new sentence Thursday, increasing the man's prison time to three to 10 years.

Judge Edward Cashman said he felt he could now impose the longer sentence because the state had agreed to provide treatment to the man while he is behind bars. The state had initially said such treatment would not come until after the man served his time.

Mark Hulett, 34, pleaded guilty to charges that he had sexual contact with a girl during a four-year period beginning when she was 6.

At the original sentencing, Cashman said the best way to ensure public safety was to get Hulett out of prison so he could receive sex offender treatment. Because the Corrections Department concluded that Hulett wasn't likely to reoffend, he wouldn't be eligible to receive sex-offender treatment until he reached the end of his jail term.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060126/D8FCGDNGH.html

[barb162]

1. well, hallelujah

[benburch]

2. It is legal for a judge to do this?

If so, what time frame are we talking about?

Can you have served, say 5 years on a crime that carries a 5-20, can he show up the last day and change your time to 20?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. It seems like it shouldn't be legal...

Not that I really mind in this asshole's case.

We elect judges to do a job; not to do what we say. If we don't like the job they do, we need to pay attention when re-election time comes.

As for scumbags who molest children, their sentences need to be higher. And I don't understand why they can't receive sex-offender treatment while incarcerated.

Also, I've yet to hear of any sex-offender treatment that was actually effective. Has anyone else?

[420inTN]

8. Not all judges are elected.

And jail time effectively keeps this predator away from kids.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. I agree about the jail time,

as I mentioned in my post. What I don't agree with is flip-flopping on sentencing.

Those elected officials who appoint incompetent judges should hear from their constituents about it, and face the consequences when it comes time for re-election. Typically, we voters may be angered by a judge's decision; but forget about it when election day rolls around. We need to pay attention.

[LisaL]

12. I heard this judge does not believe in punishment.

How and why does someone not believing in punishment becomes a judge? It boggles the mind.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. Just as a mediocre-minded AWOL boozehound ends up in the WH...

There's a payoff somewhere in there, you can be sure.

[420inTN]

14. He's been on the bench for quite a while.

Supposedly when he first sat the bench years ago, he was much tougher. However, over time, he has shifted his sentencing from punishment to rehabilition, which is laudable in some cases. But not this one, imho.

[djg21]

16. He never "flip-flopped"

It might be worth investigating the facts before you render an opinion. The issue the judge pointed out was that the perp would not have had access to "treatment" or counseling if incarcerated. The judge never rendered a definite sentence in the first place, and the sentence was only "increased" after the VT DOC made arrangements to provide the perp with sex-offender counseling within prison. The Judge was merely pointing out a deficiency in VT's penal/rehabilitation system, and a bunch of uniformed Republicans tried to make political hay. Now, some here are jumping on the bandwagon witthout being fully informed.

[DrZeeLit]

20. Thank you. Glad someone is READING the real situation. In addition,

one of the other concerns the judge originally had was that the recommendations and case study did not flag the offender, nor did the criminal justice system request any special circumstances or lengthy punishment. And yes, the judge had not sentenced this individual.

I so wish blabbermouths like BOR would READ the entire news report before going off half cocked.

I live in Vermont. We've had numerous programs on NPR regarding this, and over the years, other cases. We are a small state, population 625,000. You can bet anyone politically savvy pays attention. It's just that kind of state -- both sides of the aisle.

And a buoycott? Helllllooooo. Nobody up here gives a damn. We certainly don't live under anyone's standards but our own -- that's good ol' Yankee individualism at work. Who cares what the rest of the world think, thank you very much, BOR. I wish for a change people would look in their own backyards at their own problems. I'm sure we don't have anywhere near the crime/abuse/murder rates so many other places have.

Sheesh.

[Strong Atheist]

3. NOTHING is too

bad for child rapists... hope the sentence gets increased again...

[meegbear]

4. While I 100% support and applaud this ...

o'reilly's been bitching about this for weeks. You know he'll be bragging about how his boycott threat turned the tide.

[420inTN]

9. Even O'Reilly can be right every now and then. n/t

;-)

[LisaL]

11. Even broken clock is right two times a day.

[fishnfla]

6. I wonder: Does the state help with the victims treatment?

this judge, he's got everything backwards

[wtbymark]

7. the corrections dept. changed their policy

now all level offenders get treatment while in prison. And another judge did the same thing to an armed robber with a heroin problem. shortening his sentance so the offender can receive rehab. You're gonna see a lot more of this kind of thing in vermont. rehab instead of incarceration

[mike_c]

15. treating and rehabilitating offenders benefits everyone...

...including victims-- they're members of society too. Punishment without treatment or rehab benefits no one, not even victims, unless you consider simple brute revenge a "benefit." I think this judge did the right thing.

[toopers]

18. But is there an effective treatment?

I have not heard of a treatment, excluding the death of the perp, that is very effective.

[rocktivity]

17. Here's the original DU thread on the subject

link

My problem with it was that "the Corrections Department concluded that Hulett wasn't likely to reoffend." After doing it for FOUR YEARS and stopping only because he'd gotten caught? I'm certainly not against his getting rehab, but now it's going hand-in-hand with the punishment.

:headbang:
rocknation

[ima_sinnic]

19. who the hell cares if he gets "treatment"?

is "treatment" of criminals some new civil right or something?
some people just need to be removed from society, for the good of all.
who is providing "treatment" for the victim?

[wtbymark]

21. well then, we might as well just shoot him in the head

incarceration (non-life) is intended to temporarily take the perp out of society and rehabilitate his/her behavior so that they may re-enter society. Over half of the population of the U.S. would be in prison now if you just throw away the key. Get real, and debate with some meta-cognition, will-ya?