This gets you a LIFE sentence?

[TalkingDog]

http://www.magicvalley.com/news/local/article_441731b0-5a17-5b4f-8890-a70bc318ae88.html

A Twin Falls woman convicted of forcing a 13-year-old boy to touch her breasts was sentenced Monday to life in prison.

...

She is getting a greater penalty for having a boy touch her breast than if she killed him,” she said.

After he sentenced her, Memeo said he was bound by state statute to impose the life sentence, but said he isn’t sure why the prosecution chose to charge her under that statute.


If a male Republican Bushite had done something similar?

I think she deserves punishment for inappropriate behavior. She definitely belongs on the sex offenders registry, "foggy memory" or not. But life in prison?

No fucking way.

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. Not funny

Sad case for this woman, all gallows humor aside.

[WinkyDink]

This sentence is nothing less than EVIL.

[Zoeisright]

2. Meanwhile, many male rapists get much lighter sentences.

And some of them go on to kill women and girls.

[TwilightGardener]

3. The DA won't comment as to why he pursued that sentence. Crazy--and it sounds

like the public defender was outgunned.

[ET Awful]

4. Sounds like prime grounds for an appeal on the Constitutionality of the punishment.

I'd say life imprisonment for such a crime constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

[notadmblnd]

10. definately cruel and unusual

[Shell Beau]

5. That is a very harsh sentence.

Ok, so forcing the kid to touch her boobs was wrong, and she should be punished, but a life sentence????

[YOY]

6. This is a hell of a pro-bono for any budding defenders.

Sounds like a private incarceration institution is getting cash for inmates.

Nothing...

[barbtries]

7. my daughter's killer

got 4 years and was out in 2 and 3 months. this is obscene. the statute that forced the judge to impose that sentence needs to be thrown out.

[Soylent Brice]

9. .

:hug:

[TheOther95Percent]

11. My condolences on the loss of your daughter.

[barbtries]

15. thank you

and welcome to DU :hi:

[tekisui]

13. I am so sorry for your loss.

I never knew, now I notice your sig line. You daughter and I would be the same age. I can't imagine what you have been through. :hug:

[barbtries]

14. thank you tekisui

been through a lot...:(

[BlueIris]

18. Terribly sorry for your loss. nt

[barbtries]

20. thank you BlueIris

[tango-tee]

24. How awful, I am so very sorry for your loss.

Pleae accept my condolences.

:cry:

[barbtries]

29. thank you Tango

a sad commentary on the state of justice in this nation

[tango-tee]

30. Sending you a big hug...

I just can't imagine.... :hug:

[spanone]

39. my god, i'm so sorry....

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[barbtries]

43. thank you

:)

[uponit7771]

40. My goodness....sry to heat about that

[barbtries]

44. thanks uponit

[Odin2005]

42. Oh God, that is horrible!

:grr:

[barbtries]

45. thank you Odin

sentences should be switched.

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. I am sorry for your loss

[barbtries]

63. thank you

[Zebedeo]

60. I'm so sorry for your loss

I read your prose poem blog. It is heartbreaking. I cried and prayed for your daughter and for you. May God comfort you in your time of sorrow. It is my prayer and fervent wish that you one day be joyously reunited with your daughter in heaven.

- Zebedeo

[barbtries]

64. thank you Zebedo

i do plan on getting with her on the other side :)

[Paper Roses]

8. This cannot stand.

This is certainly not a joke but somehow it pales in comparison to some of the headlines lately.

Whoever wrote this law is off his juris-rocker.

[TheOther95Percent]

12. She's eligible for parole in 10 years...Still.

That is more time than typically given for raping a child.

With the conviction, Taylor faced a mandatory life sentence, and Memeo set parole eligibility after 10 years, the minimum sentence. If released on parole she must register as a sex offender and will be under lifetime supervision.

[woodsprite]

16. A relative of mine is in jail in Ohio

- 9 counts of sexual abuse and child rape, DNA evidence. In Ohio, he's only getting 3 consecutive sentences of 3 yrs each. He'll be out in 2012.

I think his sentence is inappropriate (he was a multiple repeat offender), and I think that her's is WAY inappropriate.

[TheOther95Percent]

17. I remember reading somewhere...

- I wish I could find it again - that women who kill are given longer sentences than similarly-situated men. I'm wondering if gender bias had a role in this prosecution.

And that is a travesty about your relative.

[Lance_Boyle]

19. Would the penalty be OK if it was a man forcing a minor to touch his balls?

Sex offense is sex offense.

[berni_mccoy]

22. That wouldn't get a man a life sentence, especially a first-time offense.

Yes, it's wrong. Yes, she deserves some prison time. But for life?

[Downtown Hound]

23. No. n/t

[pnwmom]

25. Would the penalty be okay if it was a man forcing a minor to touch his breast?

That is the equivalent.

[EOTE]

26. Do you honestly not know the answer to that question?

You think that either of these crimes are worthy of life time imprisonment?

[phleshdef]

31. No, but this would be more like man forcing a minor to touch his chest IMO.

[rcrush]

32. You think thats worth a life sentence?

Oh wait of course you do you. I forgot where I was for a second.

[redqueen]

53. Duh... I love that there's two comments like this, though.

Sad... but it says a lot

[walldude]

56. Depends... is he a Priest?

:shrug:

[lumberjack_jeff]

65. OK? I dunno. But I do know we wouldn't be talking about it.

This is "dog bites man" news.

It'd be interesting to know the whole story.

[berni_mccoy]

21. Cruel and Unusual punishment. The level of punishment here does not fit the crime.

[TransitJohn]

27. If the genders were reversed DU would think it entirely appropriate.

n/t

[rcrush]

33. DU's double standards don't make it right.

DU thinks a lot of things are appropriate but lots of people on DU are crazy.

[TransitJohn]

35. True, true, and true. n/t

n/t

[pnwmom]

37. You think DUers would support a life sentence if a man

made a 13 year old girl touch his breast?

[seabeyond]

41. no. du wouldnt say life for touching. nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

50. There are several dozen vocal DUers...

who would insist that such an offender would deserve prison rape, castration, and summary execution.

But then again, those DUers have shit for brains.

[pnwmom]

36. A life sentence for making a girl touch a man's breast?

No, DU wouldn't think that was appropriate either.

[seabeyond]

38. no. du wouldnt. nt

[elehhhhna]

46. Baloney. A man forcing someone to touch his manboobs wouldn't even be charged

I'll bet

[whopis01]

47. So, you feel it would be appropriate if the genders were reversed?

I mean, you are here on DU after all, and you claim that DU would feel that way.

Or did you mean that "some people who post here on DU would feel that it would be appropriate if the genders were reversed"?

Just wondering because it has been my experience that all sorts of different opinions are espoused here on DU and there really is never one common voice.

[redqueen]

52. Bullshit. (nt)

[fascisthunter]

59. Really? Everybody? Most everybody? Half? Some? Several?

I'll speak for my self and state that I am against this decision regardless gender.

[lumberjack_jeff]

67. If the genders were reversed, DU wouldn't care. n/t

[Echo In Light]

28. A deeply, deeply sick, psychopathic empire

[CLANG]

34. Too bad she didn't accost one of the 9/10 13-year olds that would have loved to touch her breasts.

But life in prison? There has to be a catch, right? Like she's eligible for parole in 6 months? Something... right??

[flvegan]

49. Mandatory sentence in that state.

Lewdness involving a minor? Judge has no sentencing choice.

[Trillo]

51. The police state ain't only in AZ. nt

[AnArmyVeteran]

54. Sorry, but I don't get the 'forced' part...

13 year olds have seen more sex than most of us have till our 30s or 40s. I seriously doubt if he had to be 'forced' just to touch a woman's breast. Give me a break.

I agree that the punishment for this 'crime' is ridiculous. But the teacher was way out of bounds and she did break the law. Let's see if I got this right. Thugs on Wall Street who stole trillions and destroyed millions of families get raises. But a teacher who had a momentary lapse of judgement goes to prison for life. This is a Bizzaro world. Although I believe the teacher was very wrong in what she (allegedly) did, how much residual harm will that post-pubescent boy really experience, if any?

She gets life for letting a 13 year old touch her breast, but the Pope and priests either cover up or commit vile sexual acts on children and they are immune to prosecution. Again, this is a bizzaro world. The Pope should get a life sentence for every child harmed by priests. Ridiculous.

[SoCalDem]

55. My friend's son's killer shot him in cold blood..in front of his children

and spent 6 years in jail..

The killer was his father-in-law.. He shot him at close range with a shot gun, while the two kids watched (7 & 4 yrs old at the time).

When the cops arrived they said "Grandpa shot Daddy".

why?


Daddy was pissed that Grandpa was drunk & watching the boys, and told him he was taking the kids home & they could not spend the night.... They argued & Grandpa got his gun..

He was released early from prison because he had "medical issues"..

My friend about lost her mind over the loss of this son (her baby), especially since her oldest son had been killed by a hit & run driver in Texas ...2 months earlier:(

[Dr Morbius]

57. Mandatory sentencing sucks. Bad practice. (nt)

[AnArmyVeteran]

58. Anyone know the Hawaiian culture? Hawaiian women taught boys about sex...

In Hawaii years ago it was their custom for older women to teach post-pubescent boys about sex. Of course they didn't have all of the hangups about sex that most cultures of today have. I'm not endorsing such behavior now, but anything accepted by society seems to not harm anyone. In our culture no one talks about sex openly, especially between generations, so it is buried and made shameful. Hawaiians played naked in the surf together without any stigma or shame. That came later when Christian missionaries invaded the islands and began to destroy their innocent culture. Christian missionaries taught them that being naked was wrong and bad, so they eventually taught them shame. I consider that evil.

I haven't found one Christian who seems to have read the Bible. They always leave out parts that prevent them from advancing their own selfish agendas. Perhaps they should read that part of the Bible about taking the plank out of one's own eye, before trying to remove the splinter out of another's. But Christianity was spread all around the world, polluting and corrupting the innocent cultures and lives of millions. And those they could not convert often had their heads chopped off. Missionaries are not following all the dictates in the Bible. If they did they would stay at home and try to improve themselves instead of trying to forcefully convert others.

BTW, before Christian missionaries corrupted the innocent Hawaiians they didn't even have a word for 'steal'. It didn't exist. But leave it to Christians to make everything seem dirty, bad and evil. Again, they need to look at the goddamned planks in their own eyes, before trying to remove the (perceived) splinters from another.

[Zebedeo]

61. Sorry about your hatred

for Christians and Christianity. I hardly think it has anything to do with this story.

[AnArmyVeteran]

70. I don't have hatred toward Christians, but I am opposed to their hypocrisy and abuses of others...

I have no problem with practicing Christians or anyone who acts decently toward their fellow man. But if you look at all the abuses committed by Christians in the name of god through the years you have to admit their record isn't sparkling clean. They are responsible for the killings or oppression of millions of human beings. Even in the US, supposed 'Christians' first demonized native Americans and then stole their land and practiced genocide against them.

I love Christians who are decent people who don't force their religion on others, as the religious right constantly wants to do. If it's hate to point out all of the atrocities committed by Christians through time then I guess I'm guilty of being literate of history. I'm sorry I learned the negative aspects of Christianity.

[Zebedeo]

74. No other post in this thread has anything to do with Christians or

Christianity. Your post is all about Christian-bashing. It came out of nowhere. Obviously you are obsessed with Christians and Christianity in a negative way. I think that's sad.

[seabeyond]

62. in this culture no one talks about sex? wtf? really? nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

66. +1

[seabeyond]

68. funny, huh, lol.

hey, i saw the niftiest picture. i am assuming the little boys is son. so happy, and in love..... looking up at dad.

loved it

[lumberjack_jeff]

69. Thanks, he's a great kid.

His older brothers... they have their moments. lol

[AnArmyVeteran]

71. I believe I stated that talk of sex between generations is lacking if you reread my post...

I didn't say no one talked about sex among their peers, whether they are teenagers or adults. But there is far too little talk (education) about sex between the generations. Not many mothers and fathers talk openly to their children about sex. Most post-pubescents learn about sex through their friends, not from mom or dad.

[seabeyond]

72. " In our culture no one talks about sex openly, especially between generations"

i think i read it correctly the first time. statement no one talks about sex, .... then specifying even more, especially between generations.

but lets say that is what you meant, not that this culture does not obsessively talk about sex all the time, day in day out, sec by sec, in every mode of media, but is a generation void. i beg to differ

i have had to talk more sex, more acts of sex, more abuse of sex, more retarded in sex with my children than any generation before. parents have to today. are there still parents that dont? i am sure. and sad for those kids. but it isnt anywhere like in the past

sex education in school is by far beyond what it ever was in earlier times. generational gap? nope. adults talking to kids

sex on the net. adults playing in the kids sex world. adults feeding the adult sex world to children. children playing in the adult sex world

again

laughable

the line between adult sex world and hildren exploration of their sexuality is more blurred than ever before

[Cleita]

73. That area is dominated by the Mormon church who influence much

of what goes on there because they own a lot of the businesses, casinos and such. I'm not surprised that inappropriate sex with a minor would be seen as a bigger crime than shooting someone, something that happens in that area too often due to gambling grudges and debts.