Two cases received their sentencing today.
#1
A woman tells her boyfriend it's over. Guy takes it badly. He goes to work, collecting trash during the day. He sees his girlfriend with another guy. Guy snaps. Comes back later with a knife and stab the guys multiple times. Victim survives.
Penalty? 2 years less one day to be served in the community (basically, he's at home and as to satisfy some conditions, including reporting to the authorities and not leaving the country; we don't have the little GPS thingie attached to the ankle like some US prisoners).
#2
A guy is verbally violent, and harrass l'Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec (Engineers guild, sort of) for a period of 3 months over I don't know what. Guy has been found mentally sound, enough at least to be on trial.
Granted, they guy has been accused 3 times before of such harrassment and did not receive any penalty (inconditional absolution, I think it's called, basically, it's like nothing ever happenned).
Penalty? 54 months in jail. Nearly 5 years... and he didn't kill anyone... He didn't try to kill anyone. He's got a loudmouth and accused the judge of being corrupt, wich might explain the sentence, but still...
I find our justice kinda weird, sometimes.
How long was the woman jailed?
Actually, it makes perfect sense.
In the first case, the crime is against an individual and the limit to damages against society is the loss of 2 people from the workforce. The system doesn't care if you die or if it has to throw you in prison. You're just meat walking.
In the second case, the crime is against an institution and compounded by a personal attack against the judge who represents the system. This is a crime against the state. The state generally cares when you commit crimes against it.
I got a $100 "collection fine" for forgetting to pay my swedish taxes for last year which were to the amount of $80...
The government demands its due.
Whoa, the first case is absolutely outrageous.
Sentencing is more of an art form than a science. It requires experience, creativity, determination and a sly sense of humor. Sometimes it misses but when it hits it's glorious.
White trash deserve harsher punishment than professionals. This is the wrong way round.