首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
Last week, Utah federal Judge Paul G. Cassell handed a 22-year sentence to a man who beat an elderly woman to death with a log.
Last week, Utah federal Judge Paul G. Cassell handed a 22-year sentence to a man who beat an elderly woman to death with a log.
admin
2010-05-05
48
问题
Last week, Utah federal Judge Paul G. Cassell handed a 22-year sentence to a man who beat an elderly woman to death with a log. A few hours later, Judge Cassell sentenced a 25-year-old first-time drug offender to 55 years.
If you think Judge Cassell liked sentencing a small-change drug dealer to more time than a violent killer, guess again. The judge had no choice. Federal law demanded the sentence, despite Judge Cassell’s pointed questioning if there was a "rational basis" for sentencing Weldon H. Angelos, the father of two young children, to more time than he could sentence a hijacker, murder or rapist.
Blame federal mandatory minimum sentencing rules. A jury found Angelos guilty on three separate charges of possessing a firearm while he sold a half-pound of marijuana for $350. The first charge of possessing a gun during a drug transaction brought a five-year sentence—the second two charges brought 25 years each. That adds up to 55 years, so even if Angelos were found guilty of selling $1,050 of drugs, Judge Cassell had to follow the rules and sentence him to 55 years on the gun charges. (The judge did use a recent federal ruling in reducing the sentence for the drug-selling crimes to one day.)
Judge Cassell was right to impose the draconian sentence. If he ignored federal law, he would place himself above it.
Instead, Judge Cassell sentenced Angelus as the law directed, even as he righteously hectored Congress to rewrite federal drug laws so first-time offenders don’t serve more time than dangerous career criminals. The judge also urged Angelus’ attorney, Jerome H. Mooney, to appeal the sentence and, if appeals fail, seek a presidential commutation.
While civil-rights advocates across America protested the sentence, the Utah US Attorney’s office defended the system. To prosecutors, Angelus is no Buy Scout. Officials found some 26 empty duffel hags with marijuana residue. Local feds believed Angelus was a big drug dealer, Assistant US Attorney Robert Lund told me, and associated with a violent street gang.
Let me say this: Angelus never was a good poster boy for the movement to humanize draconian federal drug laws. Angelus turned down a plea-bargain sentence of 16 years. He is considered a first-time offender only because a juvenile gun conviction was expunged from his record. And even if Angelos didn’t wave his gun in people’s faces, he nonetheless brought a gun with him during the transactions.
But Angelos has become a national cause celebre because of Judge Cassell. There are more egregious examples of first-time offenders sentenced to decades for petty dealing, but they didn’t come before a judge vocally opposed to the heavy handed nature of federal drug sentencing.
That said, it simply doesn’t make sense that federal sentences often are tougher on small-time drug offenders than on violent criminals. But it happens all the time.
选项
A、federal.
B、separate.
C、tough.
D、guilty.
答案
C
解析
语义题。文章第二段最后一句提到了法官对应有判决的质疑,认为联邦法律的相关规定过于严厉。其后几段均逐层论证了对轻罪处罚过重这一事实,因此应选"严厉的"。"联邦的","分别的,各自的","有罪的"都与文意不符。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/0W44777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
HowdoyouexplaineconomicsinplainEnglish?TheFederalReserveBankofNewYorkhasbeenansweringthequestionwithaneven
Writeanessaybasedonthefollowingchart,inyourwriting,youshould1)interpretthechart,and2)giveyourcomments.You
Runningmaybethesinglemosteffectiveexercisetoincreaselifeexpectancy,accordingtoanewreviewandanalysisofpastre
Earlierthismonth,researcherBeaverofFloridaStateUniversityreportedthatheandhisco-authorshadidentifiedgeneticmar
Earlierthismonth,researcherBeaverofFloridaStateUniversityreportedthatheandhisco-authorshadidentifiedgeneticmar
Themostpowerfulfalse-newsweaponinhistoryisaroundthecorner.Iftechnologycontinuesitscurrentadvance,wemaysoonfa
Tosaythatthechildlearnsbyimitationandthatthewaytoteachistosetagoodexampleoversimplifies.Nochildimitatese
Theshortergrowingseasonsexpectedwithclimatechangeoverthenext40yearswillendangerhundredsofmillionsofalreadypo
Psychotherapyforaslongasninemonthsissignificantlymoreeffectivethanshort-termtreatmentforalleviatingdepressionas
Accordingtothewriter,thebestwayofachievingeffectivecommunicationisto______.Accordingtothearticle,whatisthee
随机试题
蓄电池的容量单位为_______,常用的容量有额定容量和储备容量,影响容量的因素有:放电电流、电解液密度和电解液温度。
A.地高辛B.奎尼丁C.二者均可D.二者均不可
肋骨骨折是以
用于预防、治疗、诊断人的疾病,有目的地调节人的生理机能并规定有适应症或者功能主治、用法和用量的物质是药品成份的含量不符合国家药品标准的是
建设管理费以()为基数乘以建设管理费费率计算。
期末结账前,各损益类科目余额如下表所示:要求:编制期末结转损益类和本年利润科目的会计分录;假设企业所得税税率是25%,无纳税调整事项,计算应交所得税额并编制相关会计分录。结转本年利润:借:________贷:________
出口口岸()经营单位()
集萤映雪:凿壁借光
杜鹃:映山红
Howoldwastheshoe?
最新回复
(
0
)