Do people not understand how long a year is?

submitted by trident765 from self.nonmorons

I am looking at videos of Rogel Aguilera Mederos, the 22 year old rookie truck driver whose brakes failed, resulting in an accident that killed 4 people, and was given a 110 year prison sentence.

I see comments on YouTube of people saying they are sympathetic to him, and therefore wish his prison sentence was only 20 or 25 years. Lots of comments like these, advocating decades instead of a century.

Do these people not understand how long a year is? 25 years is a little better than 110 years, but not that much better. When it comes to prison sentences, I feel like people throw around numbers without understanding the seriousness behind them. They think 15 years is 15 days.

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[–]sayda 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Out of sight out of mind. Modern people would rather throw people in cages with the worst evildoers where they are raped and beaten and come out broken as long as they don't have to see it. It would be more humane to abolish prisons and just execute serious offenders and give lashings/ fines/ community service to lesser ones.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

being a truck driver is a tough job, I wouldn't do it, that being said if you're going to do it you can't be an idiot. He didn't have to plow into all those people, was just too stupid. People like that need to be off the streets.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I've thought the same thing, although a childhood friend went to prison for years for a drunk driving incident that killed the other person in the car. He was still a drunk driving fuck up when he got out.

Some people are just fuck ups and the only thing that keeps society safe from these clowns is to keep them locked up till they're in a whole other stage of their life and hope they've grown out of it.

Let us not forget, this guy's reckless driving killed people. His brakes failed cause he burned them on the mountain he didn't know how to drive on, going way too fast. He ended 4 people's lives, he should be grateful we don't do an eye for an eye. A decade of his life in exchange doesn't seem that excessive.

[–]Noam_Chomsky 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

When it comes to prison sentences, I feel like people throw around numbers without understanding the seriousness behind them. They think 15 years is 15 days.

Prison isn't a substitute for justice.

Restitution (remedy for injury) should be the goal of the legal system.

[–]ShalomEveryone 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

25 years is not "a little better" than 110 years old, it's a lot better. Say with good behavior (if it was a conviction in state court) he would do about half of his sentence so it's possible he could be out in 12.5 years. When he gets out he will be ~34 years old, he can still have a life as opposed to doing 110 years. If it was a federal conviction where there is no parole he will have to do at the very least 85% of his sentence. So if he was sentenced to 25 years he'll be released from federal prison at ~43 years old. A hell of a lot better than dying in prison because there is no way he'll live past 100 years old in prison to serve a 110 year sentence.

Do these people not understand how long a year is?

Looks like they do understand how long a year is.

Shalom

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