Week 6: No further questions your honor
Zaid R -
Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog!
I was wrong about having a trial in the 175th this week. Turns out everyone came to a plea on Monday the courts are closed on good Friday, so there was no chance a trial would be able to come forth properly, so this week, all I saw was plea deals. Of the crimes I saw, there were two main ones that stuck out.
The first was a financial crime. This woman had taken over thirty-thousand dollars from a company using company credit cards and giving herself raises, paid time off when she didn’t need it, and other things she had paid for using company funds. She was in charge of company funds to begin with as she was on the board of the company and that was her position. The facts of the case gave some examples of what she used it for (dermatology appointments, a trip to Las Vegas, gas being charged to the company credit card, etc.,) and to say the very least, I was shocked! She ended up having to pay all the money back, became a convicted felon which would be on her record for the rest of her life, and was given a restraining order. This case is a good example of one that isn’t assault or murder where there is a victim impact statement. The board of the company came and gave her a piece of their mind.
The second case was one where someone drove on the wrong side of the road in an attempt to harm himself fatally as well as harm others. This one pointed out something important that I haven’t brought up yet. Most people who are convicted, especially with drug charges and assault charges, are all struggling with mental health issues. The reason why a lot of these people are abusing substances is because the first time is the cheaper version of therapy. This then devolves into addiction and then eventually puts them through the system, which literally ruins their lives. They get no chance at getting a job, no chance at education, nothing. The only thing they are left to do is work a job where they are making under minimum wage, and then they are basically living in poverty living paycheck to paycheck. Then they face mental illness all over again. The cycle repeats. A lot of these cases are repeat offenses and it’s sad to see what they are going through.
On a lighter note, well I don’t know if you would call this lighter but to each their own, I am almost certain the 175th will be in trial next week, so stay tuned for more crazy stories!