75 hours of community service for $1740.00 theft? (Isn't that a FIYAB)?

[SoCalDem]

(felony if you are black)

As abhorrent as the runaway bride story is, THIS is a bigger issue for me.. She had MULTIPLE shoplifting "events" prior to the 'big heist', and yet..eventhough she was an ADULT, she got community service of less than 2 wks equivalent of a full time job..




Jennifer Wilbanks Had A Record In Gainesville, GA

Breaking News by Steve Huff
http://www.legendgames.net/showstory.asp?page=blognews/stories/UN0000233.txt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Jennifer Wilbanks had an arrest record in her hometown of Gainesville, GA, and that the prosecutor in at least one case against Wilbanks is now her attorney, Lydia Sartain.From Bride carried baggage from the past, by Mark Davis:
In 1996, as district attorney, Sartain prosecuted Wilbanks for allegedly shoplifting $1,740 in merchandise from a Gainesville mall, court records show. Sartain dropped the felony charge after Wilbanks, then 24, completed a pretrial diversion program, the records show. Wilbanks performed 75 hours of community service and paid restitution, according to court records.



Months before that felony arrest, police had charged Wilbanks with misdemeanor shoplifting for allegedly taking $37.05 in merchandise from a Gainesville Wal-Mart. Court records show that officials dismissed the case after Wilbanks completed "Project Turnabout," a six-week counseling program for shoplifters.She was arrested again, city court records show, in April 1998, when Wilbanks, then 25, was charged with shoplifting $98 worth of merchandise from a store. She pleaded guilty and served two weekends in jail. A judge also sentenced her to probation, a $400 fine and 50 hours of community service...



Gwinnett County, GA District Attorney Danny Porter has still not said whether his office will prosecute Jennifer Wilbanks or not for any charges related to her 4-day disappearance which began April 26 and ended with a tearful phone call to her family on April 30 from a payphone on route 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

snip.....


Other speculation published in national tabloids suggested that sexual frustration was involved, as her fiance John Mason's stalwart devotion to his Southern Baptist faith had prompted him to "reclaim" his virginity about 5 years ago, foregoing sexual activity outside marriage. On the internet, on various message boards and forums, ideas range from Graves' disease, a thyroid disorder -- this based on what some term Wilbanks' 'bulging' eyes -- to mental illness, possibly bipolar disorder, as possible factors in Wilbanks' fleeing and her subsequent behavior. Her initial story to Albuquerque police was that she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted, and Wilbanks carried the story on until she'd been examined for evidence of rape -- it was after that exam that she broke down and told the truth; that she was indeed a 'runaway bride.'

snip....


At the moment Jennifer Wilbanks is in seclusion in her family home in Gainesville. Fiance John Mason has been very supportive and most reports from interviews with Mason and friends and family indicate that the wedding the couple originally scheduled for April 30 has only been postponed, for now.

[bleedingheart]

1. I know a couple that "reclaimed their virginity"

after having had sex for years up to that point. It was the gal's idea and she wanted to feel..."virginal" when they decided to get married...(meanwhile this reclamation occurred in college)...

Her boyfriend lasted about 5 months until he started cheating on her with another girl that he ended up marrying.

[ikojo]

2. I think Ms Wilbanks is from a well connected family.

We all know that the more money you have the easier the judgment.

[Massacure]

3. Thats $23.20 an hour. She made off like a bandit.

[MazeRat7]

4. Community service was only one aspect of the "punishment"....

Your attached article indicates...
<snip>
completed a pretrial diversion program, the records show. Wilbanks performed 75 hours of community service and paid restitution, according to court records.
</snip>

So lets see... thats restitution of or above value of the merchandise $1740. (min)
A pretrial diversion program (depending on the provider ) $200-$2000 (not covered by insurance)
75 hrs community service (approx value for felony cs is $10/hr) $750
Attorney fees approx $2000.
Court cost approx $100-$400.

That would be somewhere around $6000-$8000 for her second offense not including the jail time/community supervision costs/etc from her first conviction.

Please explain to me again how this is not "appropriate" punishment given the crime ?

MZr7

edit: some typos

[walldude]

5. Actually it was a 3rd offense

and I think the OP wanted to know why, if it was a black man or woman on their 3rd shoplifting charge, they would have faced the felony charge and done time, while the rich white girl got off with what amounts to a slap on the wrist and a fine that was well within her family's means to pay without batting an eyelash?

[MazeRat7]

6. Your right, my bad, it was her 3rd offense...

Regardless, to answer your question. Its not about being white, its about having "means". Justice, as practiced in most county courts across America, will opt for a probation/restitution/community service option for almost all non-violent offenses EXCEPT drug possession provided the defendant can pay. The "punishment" for the crime seems fitting and pretty average in most jurisdictions.

Yes, she had a decent lawyer and means to pay to county - that is what they want. Your "black man" example might not apply if he too had the same means ~$8k. Dont kid yourself... county justice is for sale to the highest bidder for most "non-violent' cases.

MZr7

Unless of course you happen to be a celeb in which case all bets are off.... *grin.