Wow, just wow. :O http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/...d=ansmsnnews11
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Wow, just wow. :O http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/...d=ansmsnnews11
sorry dbl post
Idk. I understand the sympathy for her, but anxiety and depression aren't excuses to blow off a subpeona issued by a court. By pulling that stunt, she made sure that the abuser only got 16 days in jail and will soon be free to do it again to her or someone else.
That'll teach her for being mentally ill, physically abused and homeless. Hopefully she'll learn her lesson.
Fucking Florida.
Disgusting..
Couldn't they have had her testify via tv? Not sure exactly what it's called but I know they do that for inmates that are in immigration detention centers and their lawyers and hearings are too far out..surely they could have done this for her? Mental issues are serious, as we all know, so this would have been the next best option for both parties?
But yelling at traumatized persons has been proven effective.
In Florida, they don't ever drop domestic cases by request of the victim. The state will end up prosecuting them regardless. I understand she was nervous and scared. But she broke the law. She didn't show up, she didn't have a doctor or therapist giving her a legitimate excuse to excused from the court.
Honestly I don't really feel bad. Law is law. She should of went the correct routes, but instead chose to not show up.
Well, we don't really know that..how do you she wasn't threatened or scared by the guy & afraid to show up? Courts can be scary too.
Once I got a moving violation, then my car broke down & I wasn't able to appear in court, which was like 30+miles away. I didn't have any way to get there, & no $ for a cab.
So I got a warrant put out for my arrest, which I was later able to answer for, once I got my car fixed.
Prime example of one of many reasons victims don't come forward & seek help.
At first, I was taken aback by the judges decision...jail time may be a bit excessive but I do agree she shouldn't of missed court. I was upset after reading the article but after watching the video, it seems like she simply did not give a fuck about everyone else who showed up at court for the trail and was only deeply apologetic when she was sentenced to jail.
The article was a bit of a spin job. I agree that the video really paints the picture and I agree 100% with your views about her behavior. She had been telling the prosecutor for over a week that she wasn't going to show, the premeditated nature of which made her "I'm not in a good place right now" excuses sound kind of hollow.
Maybe it was some psychological issue beyond depression and anxiety.
Abused people, many of them, have some faulty beliefs that keep them stuck. Prime example is the concept of "learned helplessness". They kind of self sabotage. If they have an opportunities to escape they stay or reject opportunities to have laws punish people who abuse them.
Also never underestimate the power of moderate to severe depression and anxiety. It can turn even the most responsible person into someone who doesn't gaf (especially on things that seem hard or difficult). Yes she should have seen if her lawyers could legally excuse her from having to physically appear. But maybe this lady is uneducated and wasnt aware of her options or maybe her lawyers suck.
Where was her family though? It's sad nobody could help her out and be a bit more supportive, at least during this legal process.
It is not the same thing. There are constitutional rights involved.
"The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right…to be confronted with the witnesses against him." Generally, the right is to have a face-to-face confrontation with witnesses who are offering testimonial evidence against the accused in the form of cross-examination during a trial. The Fourteenth Amendment makes the right to confrontation applicable to the states and not just the federal government.[1] The right only applies to criminal prosecutions, not civil cases or other proceedings."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confrontation_Clause
This whole episode is a result of the "no drop" policy. In short, any domestic violence victim who calls the police has to go through with the case if there is a no drop policy. So when a victim decides later not to cooperate, she gets this. I understand that overall, no drop policies are intended to reduce domestic violence. There is little statistical evidence they really work that way though.
Z
People who've been abused, physically or otherwise, are highly stressed & don't always make the right choices.
Btw, I can see giving a punishment, but seems a bit extreme to jail her.
I blame the prosecutor. They could have and should have sent an investigator to pick her up and take her to court. And if she was so fragile or in such a "bad place" that she would just crumble on the stand then the prosecutor could explain that to the judge ; let the judge see and hear for herself and apply for an adjournment. Get the woman the therapy and /or meds she needs to be in a place good enough so that she could testify. Blaming the victim is bad enough but PUNISHING the victim is something out of Kafka imho.
Throwing this woman in jail doesn't help anyone. She should have been sentenced to community service, maybe helping out at a domestic violence shelter. And that's if she should have been prosecuted at all.
Throwing this woman in jail doesn't help anyone. She should have been sentenced to community service, maybe helping out at a domestic violence shelter. And that's if she should have been prosecuted at all.
I was one of the people who thanked Rick, and I also thanked Tourdefranzia, whose view on this matches your own. I fully appreciate what you and Tour feel for the woman. I feel it too. I am also concerned for her son, who may become a victim of abuse because the father was not punished. While I have not "been there," my late wife's father abused both her and her mother. She carried the emotional baggage from that her whole life, and I think the depression, anxiety and guilt she felt may have contributed to her shortened life. If her mother had made a complaint against her husband and pressed charges, she and her children would have not experienced the anguish they endured. I do understand why my mother-in-law did not do so, but the outcome would have been better for all if she had.
Idk. I've seen some criticism of the state of Florida in all of this, but to me it seems that they did everything possible to protect her and put a bad guy away. When she called, they came to help her. When she told them what he did, they tried to make sure that he couldn't do it again to her or anyone else, especially since he had a history of domestic abuse. At great costs in time and expense, they placed him into custody, prepared a case against him and convened a jury to hear the case.
The problem is that the state cannot do it by themselves. Accused people have rights, one of which is to face their accusers in court. So for the system to work, victims must help themselves by helping the state put these guys away. But when it came time to do her part, she blew it off. So now this serial abuser will remain free to abuse gain. Maybe it will finally sink into her head when he cracks her skull open the next time he beats her.