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A mom will be spending the next six years in jail, but from the sound of it, Pauline Hosein got lucky. REALLY lucky. The mother from Queens, New York, admitted in open court that she pimped out her 11-year-old daughter, forcing the little girl to have sex with a 24-year-old man.
What a mother, huh?
And what a prison sentence she's been promised. Six years?
Hosein pleaded guilty to first-degree rape, copping a plea that got her the joke of a punishment. In six years, her daughter will still -- technically -- be a child, still living the hell of a childhood that her mother created for her by selling her off to a grown man for sex.
And Hosein will be out, walking free, la di dah?
Ah, justice. Utterly confusing to us lay people.
The judge in the case, Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter, was quoted by the New York Post, saying, "You deserve more than the six years really," noting that a jury would have been far harsher. Nevertheless, at sentencing, Hosein is expected to get six years and six years only. The man has yet to face court proceedings (here's hoping he gets longer).
As I understand it, plea deals are made by the district attorney's office and then presented to the judge. Judges tend to follow along with the DA's office recommendation, but the rules differ by the jurisdiction.
Sometimes judges can throw a plea bargain out the window and throw the defendant to the wolves. Sometimes they can't.
It's cases like this that present the truly frustrating part of plea bargaining. Did this deal protect the little girl? Keep her from having to testify against her mother? Quite possibly.
But is it right to tie a judge's hands? For a judge to have to face that he is giving a comparatively easy sentence simply because he has no choice? Aren't our judges supposed to be able to do what's right?
Not to mention this particular bargain allows a mother who committed a heinous act against her innocent child to get off with what sounds like a slap on the wrist. Six years isn't nothing, but it's not much for ruining a child's life.
What do you think of this punishment?
Image via jkbeitz/Flickr
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