The notorious movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison, which barring that he does not have his sentence commuted or is “paroled” for some reason, means he will likely die in prison, making it a life sentence as reported by CNBC.
Film producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in prison for a rape and sex assault case that ignited the #MeToo movement in the United States.
The sentence in Manhattan state court was less than the maximum 29 years requested by prosecutors, but could amount to an effective life sentence for the 67-year-old Weinstein, who has been in apparently frail health since being jailed following his conviction Feb. 24.
The prison term also was far higher than the five years his lawyers requested from Judge James Burke. (source)
Some might say that number is too low, but given that he will likely not survive, it is sufficient.
In American courts, it is common to “make a statement” by sentencing somebody to ridiculously long terms in prison, such as those that could last a century or even a millennium.
This is not justice but a television show for the masses.
Rather, the sentence should fit the life expectancy and the crime.
One might say that “five years in jail is not a lot”.
Making such statements is clear evidence that a man has never experienced five years in jail and what it does to a man’s life.
One does not easily recover from thing such as this, yet proclamations such as this are almost always done without so much as a first thought but a reaction.
There is much that needs to be reformed in the prison system and the thing that is called justice in the US.