You can't read this story without becoming sick to your stomach.
There was outrage Wednesday when a Vermont judge handed out a 60-day jail sentence to a man who raped a little girl many,many times over a four-year span starting when she was seven.
The judge said he no longer believes in punishment and is more concerned about rehabilitation.
Prosecutors argued that confessed child-rapist Mark Hulett, 34, of Williston deserved at least eight years behind bars for repeatedly raping a littler girl countless times starting when she was seven.
But Judge Edward Cashman disagreed explaining that he no longer believes that punishment works.
"The one message I want to get through is that anger doesn't solve anything. It just corrodes your soul," said Judge Edward Cashman speaking to a packed Burlington courtroom. Most of the on-lookers were related to a young girl who was repeatedly raped by Mark Hulett who was in court to be sentenced.
I was stewing about this all day since I first saw it this morning. Since I don't post from work, I'd been working out what I wanted to write about it but since Dave says it exactly as I wanted to in his comment over at The Anchoress, I'll steal it instead.
There is another aspect beyond just what punishment ‘accomplishes’ which is the basic principle of justice.
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This man harmed someone greatly. Justice demands that he be punished for such a thing and a society that refuses to do so inevitably will lack the structure that allows civilization to exist.
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Rehabilitation, and/or prevention of future crimes may be nice side effects of a punishment, but they are not the purpose of punishment which, probably more than anything else, is how our society shows what is acceptable and unaceptable behavior. This judge has said, in effect, that raping a little girl is about as bad as littering in the eyes of our society.
And that's the point. It doesn't matter if he gets better, it doesn't. He has to pay for his crime. That's what is important. That would be justice for the victim, her family, and the rest of us.
...And the judge should be sanctioned, impeached, recalled, or whatever it is you have to do to get him off the bench in Vermont.
UPDATE 1/6/06 6:47am
I wanted to see if there were any updates on this story and checked out the Burlington Free Press. This article says the state's Corrections Department is reviewing the judge's decision but there doesn't appear to much that they can do. And this editorial is on the money.
