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MADOFF GETS 150

By "Captain Liberty" and "Rumpole"

As we sit here waiting for a judge who is perpetually late (and you know who you are) the following questions are on our mind:Doesn't giving a 70 something year old man 150 years speak more of vengeance than the 3553 sentencing factors? Is 150 years the minimum sentence necessary to accomplish all the other goals and concerns under the statute? Don't get us wrong- Madoff ruined hundreds of lives if not more. he deserves to be punished, and he probably deserves to die in prison. But on a theoretical basis, if Congress created a class of crimes that do not include life sentences, then shouldn't a sentence take into account the age of the individual?  Isn't a judge giving what amounts to a life sentence for a crime Congress didn't authorize life in prison for what amounts to (heaven forbid) "legislating from the bench?"Or are we not thinking clearly because we haven't had a drink yet? Where is this blasted judge anyway? If it rains on me one more time on the way to court I might just...continue to full post

Full post as published by Justice Building Blog on June 29, 2009 (boomark / email).