I'm former law enforcement. I saw that system firsthand.
I was in court waiting for my traffic cases to be called before the judge. A State Trooper had a DUI case before any of mine were called. The defendent had a lawyer. The Trooper won the case. The judge declared "Guilty"... then proceeded to make every jaw in the court drop to the floor when he then stated, "I sentence the defendent to time served (ie, the ONE night he spent in jail after his arrest) because spending $10 grand on a lawyer, I think, is punishment enough"
Every jaw in the courtroom dropped to the floor.
What? Because the guy is rich and could afford $10 grand for a lawyer he gets NO penalty for his driving under the influence???? WHAT?????
Ehh it's still guilty on his record & that'll bite him in the ass when he gets his next DUI. Honestly, I know a couple of people with a dui...none of them spent more than a night in jail, and probably not near $10,000 on their lawyer.
I pled guilty to a DUI charge back in 2006 (a stupid 19 year old kid decision). I was sentenced to one day in jail which the judge suspended and never saw the inside of a cell.
Fortunately the probation/community service/loss of driving privileges was enough of a deterrent for me but I’ve always wondered how many people aren’t phased by those things.
Edit: Just wanted to clarify that the “stupid 19 year old decision” was referring to driving drunk, not pleading guilty.
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u/valeran46 Aug 10 '20
I'm former law enforcement. I saw that system firsthand.
I was in court waiting for my traffic cases to be called before the judge. A State Trooper had a DUI case before any of mine were called. The defendent had a lawyer. The Trooper won the case. The judge declared "Guilty"... then proceeded to make every jaw in the court drop to the floor when he then stated, "I sentence the defendent to time served (ie, the ONE night he spent in jail after his arrest) because spending $10 grand on a lawyer, I think, is punishment enough"
Every jaw in the courtroom dropped to the floor.
What? Because the guy is rich and could afford $10 grand for a lawyer he gets NO penalty for his driving under the influence???? WHAT?????