Quote:
Originally Posted by Jima64
Saying thst it was better for a molester to be out on probation so he could again molest and be sentenced is ridiculous. Have you any personal experience of family members suffering. So shameful to think that way.
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Yes, I do have the experience, unfortunately. He did not have to molest again to break his probation. Any misstep would break it, even just being late for his probation check-in would be reason for revocation. They were going to be watching him like a hawk looking for ANY reason to revoke. Was it ideal? No, but being out for months awaiting a new trial because of a hung jury was worse. Being acquitted would have been even worse than that. Being out in less than 20 years would, too. Personally, I would have preferred to see him thrown into the jail population with prisoners who hate child molesters and the key thrown away.
Unfortunately, there are too many people who serve on juries simply because they have to and just want to get it over with and vote not guilty. Many jurors cannot make a decision, period. Many, like our one hold-out, have personal reasons for not voting guilty or for harsh punishments. Her brother had been in prison and she said that she would never vote to send anyone to prison. We had two in the murder trial I served on that held out for self-defense even though the other guy was clearly unarmed. The shooter admitted he shot him because he called him a racial slur. This was a black-on-black murder with an all white jury. We ended up in a hung jury and the guy took a plea deal rather than go back to another trial.