Yet another week that tests my patience.
I often express my dissatisfaction with judges who impose lenient sentences…you know, those so-called wise figures who release sex offenders and dangerous criminals without holding them accountable for their actions.
Now, I discover that it’s not only wise judges in Australia… this troubling trend is proliferating across the globe. In Canada, a troubled individual suffering from postpartum depression drowned her two children in the bathtub. A two-year-old and a ten-month-old baby were left submerged for their father to discover upon returning home.
I don’t blame the judge for delivering a six-year sentence reduced to fifteen months or for those who released Allyson McConnell after just ten months. Instead of serving time in prison, she was placed in a hospital. This was a facility meant to assist her in understanding that her illness, rather than herself as a person, bore the guilt. Anyone with young children can empathize with the desperation that can arise when faced with solitude.
In a state of divorce and deeply afflicted by depression, she was assessed by a court demonstrating compassion and insight. She now must navigate life without her own family, haunted by the memories of the tragedy that unfolded in her early twenties.
What are my thoughts on this situation? It is not the act or the sentence that concerns me, but the choice to send the offender back to Australia. Is there a double standard at play? A reduced sentence and repatriation before any appeals are exhausted. Are there other Australians awaiting similar leniency and an opportunity to return home?
Contrast this with the verdict given to another young individual from a different nation. A man assaulted his friend, whose spinal injury resulted in paralysis. The court deemed an injection that would paralyze him for life as an appropriate punishment. Unsurprisingly, this ruling is currently under appeal.
The mother who tragically took her children’s lives was convicted of manslaughter, not murder or intentional killing.
From this, one must conclude that if you intend to commit a crime, it would be wise to choose a country with a justice system that is measured and benevolent.
by TOG
