Too Short for Prison
A Criminal Escapes Justice
By Daniel Muniz

Richard W. Thompson was facing a sentence of ten long years in prison for molesting a 12 year old girl. Instead, Cheyenne County District Judge Kristine Cecava of Nebraska gave him probation on the grounds that this miscreant was “too short” to endure a prison stay.

Although the judge agreed that Thompson committed a heinous crime against a child that should be punished, she simply felt that he was not tall enough to adequately survive prison. Regardless of the actual horrendous nature of his crime, the “perceived” well-being of this thug came before justice.

Thompson, who is 5-foot-1 will now be electronically monitored and will have to stay away from anyone who is under 18 years of age. In addition, he cannot live with a woman who has children under the age of 18. He will also have to get rid of his pornography. And that is about it.

Incidentally, this child molester even has some supporters.

The National Organization of Short Statured Adults has rallied to Thompson’s side. Joe Mangano, the secretary of that organization has stated:

"I'm assuming a short inmate would have a much more difficult time than a large inmate," said Mangano, who is 5 feet 4 inches tall. "It's good to see somebody looking out for someone who is a short person."

Apparently it doesn’t matter to the members of this group that Thompson sexually assaulted a little girl; just as long as he doesn’t get sent to prison because he is not tall enough. Mangano doesn’t seem to understand that when you break the law, you take your chances with what can happen to you.

Even the Nebraska ACLU chapter was mystified because no one had ever tried using physical height as a means to get out of prison.

But why do lawyers or judges pursue such shenanigans like this?

Reminiscent of the attractive blonde teacher who was convicted of having sexual relations with one of her teenage students but got probation because she was “too pretty” to go to prison, this sentence reflects an irresponsible nature of our legal system.

Just because sensibilities are affected, a lowlife will avoid justice. Yes, a blonde teacher may be good-looking but is that really a good enough excuse for her to avoid punishment? The same goes with this “height challenged” criminal. So he will be shorter than the rest of his inmates, does his physical stature nullify the gravity of his crimes, especially that of sexual assault of a child?

And what other crimes should he and other “short” people be able to get away with?

Of course, this isn’t the first time that such “mitigating circumstances” have been employed by defense attorneys.

Lawyers have always paraded a plethora of excuses before judges and juries that range from the tear-jerking to the ridiculous.

Yes, your client may have experienced a broken childhood, been neglected by parents, ran with the wrong crowd, had an abusive father, or maybe even lived in house that didn’t have cable television. Yes, that biographical background is heart wrenching. Yes, your story is sad.

But even with all the biographical narratives, a brutal crime was still committed and all the background information in the world does not take away from the pain and agony that was inflicted. So regardless of how bad your past was or what you are facing today, you still did a bad thing.

However, I do agree that mitigating circumstances have to be presented to the court and they have to be carefully weighed against the severity of the crime and as well as against everything else involved. And I do whole-heartedly accept that there may indeed be extenuating and unusual circumstances that may warrant an alternative form of punishment and I feel that the public ought to have an open mind to that.

But don’t mistake the general public as idiots as demonstrated here.

Yes, prison is harsh. Yes, it is unpleasant and may even be rather hazardous. But if Thompson is scared of prison, then perhaps he should not have committed a crime that will put him there.

And the same goes for all other criminals. If you don’t like prison, then don’t come back. Do not commit vicious inhumane acts of violence against other people or violate the law because prison is where you will end up.

Overall, this sentence was outrageous and the reasoning behind it was completely misguided. The public has to be vigilant against the judges who allow a vicious hoodlum to have more rights than the victim.

Any opinions or views expressed herein belong solely to the author and does not represent any employer, organization, political party, governmental agency, or any other entity and do not necessarily reflect the views of the site owner or its participants.