Monday, July 19, 2004

Interesting Definition of Integrity

According to CNN.com, a man who had been on the lamb for 20 years recently gave himself up and received a 45 day sentence in federal court for his efforts.  The man pled guilty to drug smuggling in 1984 after being found on a boat loaded with pot.  Free on bond after his plea, he skipped town before being sentenced.  He spent the last two decades buidling lobster traps and picking vegetables in Florida until his daughter (with whom he recently reunited) convinced him to turn himself in.  The short sentence was motivated, in part, because the sentence judge was "moved by the man's integrity."  Interesting definition of integrity - skip out on your legal punishment for two decades and turn yourself in only after being convinced to do so by someone else.  Maybe those Sentencing Guidelines aren't such crazy things after all.
 
Speaking of the Guidelines, as another blogger pointed out, the judge was required to apply the law in effect at the time of the man's plea, which meant no Sentencing Guidelines (it was 1984, remember).  Is this a preview of the post-Blakley world?

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