Crime – Page 59 – Feministe

You Know This Is Going Nowhere Good When It Starts With “He Says He Was On His Way To Bible Study.”

ATASCADERO, Calif. – A retired salesman alleged a stripper and her friend beat and robbed him in his home. John Skinner, 54, said he was on his way to Bible study on Jan. 23 when exotic dancer Maureen Murphy, 25, knocked on his door and offered him a free strip-o-gram.

Murphy said a friend had already paid for the show, police said.

When Skinner agreed to let her perform, knife wielding Richard Adam, 23, allegedly forced his way inside and told Skinner he owed Murphy, owner of Bikini Assassins, and another woman money for earlier services.

Skinner said he owed Talbert money for sex one time but not for a previous time when he said she fell asleep before they could have sex.

That’s “WTF” as in, “WTF is it about these Bible thumpers and sex?”

Death Penalty for Repeat Child Rapists

Zuzu’s post below reminded me of the most-thought provoking bit of news I found yesterday, particularly because the young men in this awful OC rape trial (documented expertly for some time by PFH) were only sentenced to six years apiece for violently gang-raping an unconscious young woman, videotaping it, and smearing her name across the country’s newspapers using the same old argument we always use against rape victims: She was a slut and she wanted it. But I digress.

My ears perked up when I saw this bit of news on television yesterday evening. The Oklahoma Senate has approved the death penalty for repeat child molesters and could be signed into law any day. The bill, brought by Democratic senator Jay Paul Gumm, was approved by a bi-partisan majority and is expected to be on the desk of the governor next week.

Under the bill by Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant, a second sex offense against a child could subject someone to execution or life in prison without parole.

Some senators questioned the bill’s constitutionality since the U.S. Supreme Court had required aggravating circumstances to be present in murder cases that lead to the death penalty.

To the chagrin of many readers and friends, I am not against the death penalty. I agree with many of the problematic points people have laid out — many of which Jill details in this post and even more points hashed out in the comments — but I’m ultimately not concerned with whether or not the death penalty is a deterrant for the crimes of others, especially when it comes to sexual assault.

For obvious reasons, I have zero sympathy for perpetrators of sexual assault, especially repeat offenders, and their apologists. As a parent I’d want to see the fuckers fry, not merely sentenced to a decade in prison. I’m human.

Nonetheless, this bill debatably unconstitutional not only because of the “aggravation” terms for the death penalty mentioned above, but also because of Coker v. Georgia. (Calling all lawyers.)

Issue: Whether the crime of rape committed by a criminal with past serious criminal record can be punished by a death sentence.

Holding: No

Rationale: The court ruled the death sentence was too excessive for the crime of rape. The court considered the statistics of how states were stepping away from death sentences in rape cases and used these statistics to back up its ruling. The court reasoned that death sentence in itself is not cruel and unusual, but this sentence in a rape case is too disproportionately excessive. The court stated: “a punishment is excessive and unconstitutional if it 1. makes no measurable contribution to acceptable goals of punishment and hence is nothing more than the purposeless and needless imposition of pain and suffering; or 2. is grossly out of proportion to the severity of the crime.” In the current case, an adult woman was raped and even though it was a serious crime, but still it was not as serious as a murder. So the death sentence was simply too harsh. Sentence reversed.

Years ago, my therapist, who also doubled as a sex therapist, told me that preferential child molesters are essentially unable to be rehabilitated. Unlike situational child rapists, who enact their lifelong patterns of violence on anyone around them, man, woman, or child, preferential child rapists prefer children as their sexual “partners.”

These offenders have a sexual preference for children and usually maintain these desires throughout their lives. Preferential child molesters can have an astounding number of victims and these crimes can remain undiscovered for many years. … One long-term study of hundreds of sex offenders found that the pedophile child molester committed an average of 281 acts with 150 partners. These types of offenders wreak havoc upon society far out of proportion to their numbers.

Perhaps the precedence is set for the current bill to be challenged and overturned.

But you won’t see me challenging it.

UPDATE: Amanda posts on the subject and perfectly explains why I can’t get worked up about the death penalty and “tough on crime” crap.

I’m not exactly going to wail and bemoan if the government actually starts taking sexual abuse and assault seriously, even though the trend seems to be in the other direction. But that’s the problem with legislation like this is that increasing the penalties for crimes is mostly a feel good exercise so politicians can look tough without actually doing shit all to actually reduce the crime rate.

That’s my problem with the death penalty in general. It’s not about reducing crime or helping victims or even about justice. It’s about politicians grandstanding and making sure that the scariest kinds of crimes, which are also the rarest more often than not, are in the news and you and yours are scared and keep voting for them because they look tougher.

That and innocent people get drawn up in the public outcry to see blood. But I still can’t drudge up much sympathy for predators of any vein.

Orange County Rapists Sentenced

Three men who videotaped their rape of an unconscious woman and then claimed that she was faking unconsciousness and wanted to be a porn star sentenced to six years.

The first jury had deadlocked in 2004, but the second, last March, had convicted them of 15 counts of felony sexual assault, but not rape.

The sentences came after the victim told the judge she had been violated “in every way possible” and urged the maximum penalty so her attackers could feel the same pain she did.

Now 20, she choked back tears as she described viewing the taped assault so she could testify against the men effectively.

The video, which has not been made public, shows the nude victim being sexually assaulted on a pool table, prosecutors said.

“When did I become a piece of meat? How can anything human do the things that they did? They did things not even a savage animal would do,” the victim said.

Defense attorneys argued at trial that the girl was a willing participant in a “weekend sexcapade” and was faking unconsciousness because she wanted to be a porn star.

I suppose the pool table was just a convenient horizontal surface, but it’s eerily reminiscent of the 1983 gang-rape at Big Dan’s Tavern in New Bedford, Mass., that was the basis for the pinball-machine rape in the move “The Accused.”

The victim was apparently pleased with the sentences, and the perps themselves made statements that indicate at least some awareness of the wrongness of what they did:

“I look at each defendant as being equally culpable,” Judge Francisco Briseno said Friday. “This was with one intent, and that intent was to degrade the victim.”

Gregory Haidl, 20, the son of millionaire and former Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl, apologized to the victim during the hearing.

“It was never my intention to hurt you and cause you pain,” said Haidl, who taped the July 2002 assault at his father’s home. “I can’t take back any negative feelings and emotions, and I’m sorry for that also.”

Kyle Nachreiner, 21, told the court he accepted responsibility for his “repugnant” actions, while Keith Spann, 21, declined to make a statement but sobbed openly as his mother pleaded with the judge for leniency.

Assistant District Attorney Chuck Middleton the terms were sufficient to “send a message to these three men, and if they’re smart they’ll come out of prison and lead a respectful life.”

The victim told prosecutors she was pleased with the prison terms. She has filed a $26 million lawsuit against the defendants, Haidl’s parents and others.

May He Rot in Hell

Slobodan Milosevic, the Butcher of the Balkans, has died in his prison cell awaiting trial for war crimes.

Morning Absurdity

So, I’m out walking Junebug this morning. It snowed a bit yesterday, mixed with rain, so everything’s a bit icy. I normally walk her around the block in the morning, but there are too many people who don’t clear off their sidewalks, so I took her in front of the building next door, on our usual night route.

And I got stopped by a dog-shit cop.

Flashing light and unmarked car and everything. He leaned out and said, “Excuse me! Did your dog just defecate and you left it there?” I said no, she just peed. He persisted in accusing me of leaving a pile of shit there because he’d seen Junebug squat near a pile of dog shit.

Yes, at 8 in the morning, I, a grown woman, had to lead a grown man — a cop — to the pile of dog shit in question (which I hadn’t even seen until he’d pointed it out) and discuss the characteristics of said pile of dog shit. Why, officer, it’s frozen, and dry, and far too big a pile of shit to have come from my little dog. That’s at least a German shepherd shit. And look! Here are my dog’s tracks on the other side of the tree, and the little spot of pee where she marked another spot of pee from a prior dog.

Then I got a lecture about the importance of cleaning up my dog’s shit, with several references to the plastic bag in my pocket and the number of complaints in the neighborhood recently.

Just another sign of the gentrification of my neighborhood. I’ve lived here almost five years and this is the first time I’ve encountered a dog-shit cop in an unmarked vehicle.

Poor guy, getting put on dog-shit detail so that the yuppies moving into the neighborhood don’t have their property values depressed.

Shackled During Childbirth

Many states routinely shackle pregnant prisoners during labor and delivery, citing “flight risk” when they’re taken to outside hospitals.

Despite sporadic complaints and occasional lawsuits, the practice of shackling prisoners in labor continues to be relatively common, state legislators and a human rights group said. Only two states, California and Illinois, have laws forbidding the practice.

The New York Legislature is considering a similar bill. Ms. Nelson’s suit, which seeks to ban the use of restraints on Arkansas prisoners during labor and delivery, is to be tried in Little Rock this spring.

The California law, which came into force in January, was prompted by widespread problems, said Sally J. Lieber, a Democratic assemblywoman from Mountain View.

“We found this was going on in some institutions in California and all over the United States,” Ms. Lieber said. “It presents risks not only for the inmate giving birth, but also for the infant.”

Leg irons and wrist shackles are common in the 23 states and federal corrections bureau where this is still allowed, either by law or by corrections-department policy. I’ve never been pregnant, but I’ve been in serious pain, and writhing often helps. It seems cruel to deny that kind of freedom of movement to a prisoner who is giving birth, especially since there’s a guard standing by in case she and her placenta try to make a break for it.

Sugar and Spice, or Piss and Vinegar?

The Dark Side of Girl Power. Newsflash: Some human beings are violent. Some of those violent human beings are girls. This, apparently, will unravel society.

We all know that “girl power” has become a popular motivator over the years, but there is growing concern that this positive reinforcement is not without consequence. Girls may be expressing themselves a bit too physically these days. Gone are the days of girls made simply of sugar and spice and everything nice. Instead, there is a new American girl, one who is becoming more aggressive, and she is not afraid to make contact.

Christ. First, there were never “days” when girls were all made of sugar and spice and everything nice. We’ve been panicking about supposed changes in girls’ behavior for centuries. They were getting too smart, and doctors were sure that their ovaries were going to shrivel up, so we blocked them from education. Women wanted voting rights, and were told that it would destroy the family. Are we really blaming empowering girls for an increase in violence?

Well, Gosh.

Polygamist Utah judge gets the boot for violating state anti-bigamy law.

Unsurprisingly, godbag judge is pissed:

Steed said he was disappointed with the decision.

“I had hoped that the court would see my case as an opportunity to correct the injustices that are caused by the criminalization of my religious beliefs and lifestyle,” Steed said in a statement.

Steed has served for 25 years on the Justice Court in the polygamist community of Hildale in southern Utah, where he ruled on misdemeanor crimes such as drunken driving and domestic violence cases.

Now, if I’m not mistaken, Hildale is one of those communities in southern Utah, near (IIRC) Colorado City, Arizona, where a godforsaken community has been left to the tender mercies of the religious leaders of the fundamentalist Mormon church, which basically allows any old man to decide that God told him to marry any given 13-year-old girl. It all worked out great for a while, at least until the young men who were shut out of the marriage thing started getting thrown out of town lest they present a threat to the older guys on claiming the wimmins. If anyone questioned the status quo, they were shunned completely.

According to Under The Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer, these FLDS communities have been openly defying Utah law and gleefully committing welfare fraud for decades. That it has taken the Utah state government 25 years to wise up and boot out a judge who’d been openly flouting the law shows that they haven’t really had the best interests of the young women who get sucked into early marriages with these men at heart.

Defining “Cruel and Unusual”

Speaking of things not delineated in the Constitution, how do we define “cruel and unusual punishment” when the method of punishment is one that wasn’t around in the Founders’ time? One example comes out of California today, as doctors there refuse to participate in the execution of an inmate because of the method of death selected by the warden:

The scheduled execution of convicted murderer-rapist Michael Morales was postponed this morning after court-ordered anesthesiologists refused to participate in the process. The prison warden abruptly changed plans and announced that the inmate would be executed with a lethal dose of barbiturates.

At 2:55 a.m., Warden Steven Ornoski announced that the prison indends to carry out the execution at 7:30 p.m. today with an unprecedented single dose of sodium pentothal, a lethal barbiturate, rather than the standard three-chemical potion.

Injecting Morales with five grams of barbiturates was expected to lengthen the execution from the usual 11 minutes to as long as 45 minutes.

A week ago, U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel responded to defense claims that lethal injection violated a constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment by offering three options: A lethal injection of only barbiturates; having an anesthesiologist on hand to ensure Morales was unconscious when the standard three-chemical injection was administered; or a stay of the execution pending a hearing.

The ruling brings up the possibility that doctors will have to bring the inmate back to consciousness in the event of a failed execution. Clearly, this violates the Hippocratic oath of “do no harm.”

Morales’ defense team had argued that the state’s three-stage lethal injection protocol violated a constitutional ban on “cruel and unusual punishment,” claiming that the initial rounds of sedatives and paralytic agents might mask, rather than prevent, pain from the final heart-stopping chemicals.

After studying the medical logs of executed inmates, Fogel agreed that the procedure was prone to error and recommended having a doctor present to make sure Morales was rendered unconscious before the final dose. His ruling applies, however, only to the Morales execution.

Defense attorneys asked the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the execution on the grounds that Fogel’s remedy was untested and had not been subjected to legal, medical or administrative reviews. The altered procedure was also protested by physician groups, including the American Medical Assn., on the grounds that it contradicted a doctor’s Hippocratic oath to prevent harm.

Now, one has to wonder how executing an inmate is in any way consistent with the Hippocratic oath, but I guess that’s a different story.

This is a sick man, and the crime he committed is disgusting. He shouldn’t be out on the streets again, ever — but he also shouldn’t be executed by the state. I simply don’t believe that any ethical or moral society engages in state-sanctioned executions of its citizens. Good for these doctors for drawing the line somewhere, even if it’s not as far as I would draw it.

Cripes. Who Does This?

Radio Shack’s CEO recently resigned, and it turns out his resume was faked.

Kinda like that of George Deutsch III, the political appointee to a NASA public-affairs position who was responsible for suppressing global-warming findings.

Neither the Radio Shack CEO or Deutsch actually completed the degrees they listed on their resumes, which might be a particular issue with Deutsch, considering the security clearance he must have had to have gone through before taking the job.

Now, I can see exaggerating your duties or the responsibility of the job that you previously had, but to frickin’ LIE about your DEGREE? That’ s the easiest thing in the world to check.

The problem, I guess, is that some people just don’t bother to check before giving out sensitive jobs because, well, it’s your friend’s kid.