No Jail For Texas Teen Who Lied About Being Raped By 3 Black Men
Source: Huffington Post
~snip~
A North Texas teenager who falsely claimed she was kidnapped and raped by three black men last March will likely serve no jail time.
On Thursday, 19-year-old Breana Harmon of Pottsboro pleaded guilty to four felony charges of tampering with physical evidence and government documents in relation to false reports of kidnapping and sexual assault.
Shes very remorseful for what she did and what she said, and thats why she decided to plead guilty, Harmons attorney Bob Jarvis told the Sherman Herald Democrat. No suspects were ever identified or arrested in the case.
Harmon will be sentenced March 20. Her plea deal has two possible punishments: regular probation or deferred adjudication, which often involves fulfilling a requirement, such as treatment or community service. Neither involves jail time.
Read more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/breana-harmon-false-rape-jail_us_5a958207e4b03a8f3a22f390?ncid=edlinkushpmg00000313
iluvtennis
(19,905 posts)KWR65
(1,098 posts)dsc
(52,172 posts)by a cop or by vigilantes. She deserves jail.
KWR65
(1,098 posts)Proud liberal 80
(4,167 posts)Sound like something that I would read from a racist apologist in the comments section of an article
Liberalagogo
(1,770 posts)Really?
Aristus
(66,522 posts)'Could have...'
I think for the most part you are correct, there may be an exception here or there, but generally it is a waste of resources. I think a nice community service position involving real physical work would be much more beneficial to all.
GWC58
(2,678 posts)I mean physically exhausting hard labor. That might straighten her out, possibly.
christx30
(6,241 posts)But I'd like to see her on some kind of list for the rest of her life. Like "take rape accusations from this woman with a grain of salt" list.
"I was raped by so-and-so." "Sure. But I'm going to need a HELL of a lot more than just your word before I even question this guy or investigate this in anyway. Like notarized statements from 6 witnesses, and the word of God himself."
Or, hell, the sex offenders list.
Demsrule86
(68,788 posts)record- I have real problems with the punish them forever meme. If you are not going to allow rehabilitation what is the point? I would imagine if those who committed crimes..(.not all but some )were given a chance, many would turn their lives around. My husband works in manufacturing. His job hires ex-cons. They are extremely grateful for the opportunity to turn their lives around and support their families. Many become loyal workers and give back to the company. Everyone (at least most) deserves a second chance. I am not talking about violent criminals which is a little problematic. In Europe after a certain number of years, non-violent crimes are stricken from a person's record. This person did a horrible thing...and it could have caused the deaths of innocent men of color so I have mixed feelings about her sentence or lack there of...
christx30
(6,241 posts)about people spending 20+ years in prison because someone lied. Some prosecutors don't give a rip about the truth or justice. They want a win. And her actions have the potential to put a tiny doubt into the minds of anyone that takes a rape report. "Is this real? Or is this like that one woman?"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Banks_(American_football)
What would those guys get if they existed, and the crime was real? Sentence her to that penalty. Make it heard loudly and clearly from one ocean to the other. If you falsely accuse someone of a crime, you will receive the punishment they would receive.
Demsrule86
(68,788 posts)lock up non-violent offenders but the point is after the punishment is meted out and the debt to society is paid...are we going to make the person pay for their entire life?
christx30
(6,241 posts)he would have paid for the rest of his life. 20+ years in prison, difficulty getting a job afterwards.
But if not an actual penalty, just a "society doesn't trust you anymore" thing. Put information about her everywhere, let everyone know she did this. Make it be the first link that comes up any time someone puts her name into Google. Background checks for colleges and jobs. Any potential boyfriend that googles her before asking her out. I know if I encountered a woman that I knew of that had done something like this, I would steer clear of her.
Demsrule86
(68,788 posts)cstanleytech
(26,351 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,381 posts)I like your idea, but ankle monitor and house arrest for a year or so. Then the probation. Prison does seem too much and too expensive, but making someone stay in the house for a year would be some punishment more than just probation. (Not that long term probation would be a cakewalk.)
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Her lawyer said so.
Dream Girl
(5,111 posts)If one of the guys had not filmed the encounter o his phone, they would still be in prison. She later admitted it was a lie, she just regretted being with three black guys I guess. Women usually dont lie about rape but on rare occasions they do
LisaL
(44,982 posts)irisblue
(33,054 posts)Does that get a pass?
Freethinker65
(10,105 posts)McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)NBachers
(17,186 posts)in this case.
kimbutgar
(21,270 posts)Phoenix61
(17,025 posts)ornotna
(10,810 posts)And I could be wrong. I don't think there was anyone picked up as suspects. She still needs to apologize to the AA community.
Judi Lynn
(160,663 posts)Why there isn't a sensible penalty for this is a dirty crime, itself.
Dan
(3,589 posts)You have no idea how offensive I find this....
safeinOhio
(32,751 posts)finds this offensive and sick.
She should be the poster child for White Privilege.
Bengus81
(6,937 posts)Not this good ole' boy Texas BS and all is forgotten.
Docreed2003
(16,900 posts)This whole story is sick and her motivation to tear down and attack an entire community is sick, and thats being kind...
montana_hazeleyes
(3,424 posts)every black man in America was made suspect. Even though no one was named, it still put all black men in more danger than they already are.
This pisses me off to no end!
JI7
(89,287 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,476 posts)There is a difference between remorse, being sorry, and deeply understanding the reasons, motivations, and implications of such criminal behavior. Light sentences reward the antisocial personality. This is an abomination.
Bengus81
(6,937 posts)Give her at least 10 years Probation and play that apology at prime time. There needs to be some kind of punishment here,not just a "I'm remorseful" now I'll see you later,time to partyyyyyy.
GWC58
(2,678 posts)Supervised probation. That includes seeing a probation officer once a week, no alcohol, no drugs, prescription, or otherwise. And, this might sound cruel, if she has some pain that might call for Narcotics the judge should say nope! There are other effective ways, that dont require narcotics, for relief. Take some aspirin and tough it out. Cruel? Maybe. Unusual? I dont think so.
StevieM
(10,500 posts)What if her appendix has to come out? Or if she needs chemotherapy?
You are joking here, right?
GWC58
(2,678 posts)Maybe, in my zest, I took it too far.
malthaussen
(17,235 posts)He's remorseful, too, but assures us he's a good person anyway. Made for each other.
-- Mal
moriah
(8,311 posts)I think she needs either jail or psychiatric commitment.
Even if police realized she was lying fast, she contributed to the climate that paints people who aren't perfectly pale as more likely to commit a crime.
And she could have been responsible for egging people on to either take freedom from innocents through "legal" avenues, or vigilante violence.
Regardless of the fact this ended far better than it could have, she should be punished for it more than a slap on the wrist. Her lies could have made those people run outside, find the nearest black guy, and if she says she only claimed rape by nodding yes to the question, pretty damn sure she'd have nodded that the random dude was involved.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)All because she didn't want to tell mom about some ripped jeans