Friday, March 23, 2012

Amusing Coincidences In Judicial History

The Delaware Supreme Court upheld a sentence of 20 lashes for a larceny probation violator in 1963, deciding that it was not cruel and unusual punishment, prohibited by the Bill of Rights.  When I went to find information about that case, I found a newspaper article from the April 4, 1963 Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune.  The Delaware Supreme Court upheld the sentence, and returned the case to the trial court: Judge Stewart Lynch presiding.

3 comments:

  1. Which is more cruel, 20 lashes, or 30 days in jail?

    I think we'd do pretty well to bring back the whipping post as an alternative to short prison sentences, especially if the defendant is allowed to choose between the two.

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  2. It would have been a lot funnier if his name had been Caine, Birch, Whipple, or Lasham.

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  3. "I think we'd do pretty well to bring back the whipping post as an alternative to short prison sentences, especially if the defendant is allowed to choose between the two."

    I completely agree with this sentiment. I'm not sure how locking individuals up would teach those individuals how to live in a free society.

    I'm not completely adverse to locking up rapist, murderers, or their ilk--but in this case, it would be to remove them from society, not to figure out how to get them to fit in.

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