Quick recap:
July 2007: Mom gets mugged.
May 2008: The judge gives the mugger 20 years, and to quote Sublime “…and his heart was filled with tears.”
September 2008: Mom calls me, tells me that he’s up for Parole and the hearing is in November. Me: “Really…?” Mom has the option of being at the parole hearing, in person or by video conference; she declines (over her lawyer’s advice and mine) and prefers to write a letter. She writes it, and asks me to look it over. I proof it, and add a comment about the fact that, if paroled, this man would have done 14 months of a 20-year sentence, and only 6 months since his sentencing.
Today: Mom just emailed me and told me that apparently the parole board and the prison both believed that his sentence was 10 years, and not 20. My comments in that letter made someone go back and check the court records, and indeed the sentence was 20 years, and this guy is not eligible for parole for another 5 years.
I’m happy that this guy’s not getting out anytime soon, but I’m a bit bewildered as to how a guy living in California is the only one to remember the length of sentencing for a crime in Tennessee.
Also: Really? You can do less than a year and a half of a 10-year sentence and be up for parole? Really?
Sometimes justice is not only blind, it’s mildly retarded.
What a joke. First of all, they should have it right on his file that his sentence was for 20 years. Second of all, five years on a 20 year sentence is nothing. Apparently, Tennessee does have Truth in Sentencing, but not for all crimes?
And then the other thing, doesn’t 20 years seem a little long for a mugging? However, if I was your mom, I’d feel pretty good about that. If I was the guy, I’d be wondering what the heck just happened.
Well, it was more than one mugging. It was 6 muggings, one of which resulted in (I think) an aggravated battery. As well, he had a bench warrant out for domestic assault at the time of his arrest, and while I’m not 100% sure, this would all have been while on parole. Either that, or they just took into account his prior time.
I am 100% with you on the notation on the file, I can’t fathom a reasonable excuse. I do think 6+ years on a 20 is reasonable for at least looking at parole (a bit over a third); however, the math doesn’t add up for 16 months on a 10 year sentence.
Educate me on “truth in sentencing?”