26 October 2007

Insane Justice

A system that allows an obviously insane man to plead guilty to bank robbery is broken.

The 7th Circuit, in its opinion, holds that the judge in the case abused his discretion, not by allowing him to plea guilty at all, but by sentencing him to 50 months in prison (more than the government requested), without even considering his mitigating argument that his only prior convictions (unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of drugs) were less significant than they appeared because they arose in connnection with a suicide attempt of a man who was obviously insane then as well.

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