week 3: editorial one-pager

"Criminal-Friendly in Rockville"
Shawn Henderson of Landover was charged with first-degree murder in the death of a local woman. Henderson is a convicted robber. His trial has not yet been held, so his guilt is unclear, but he is definitely a dangerous criminal. In 2000, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Durke Thompson sentenced Henderson to twelve years in prison for three separate robbery attempts in which Henderson had stabbed people. The sentence was reduced to ten years in 2004 by Judge Thompson. Henderson ended up getting out of parole in 2006, after only serving six of the ten years. He is now at a detention center after the latest crime, awaiting the trial. People were killed during Henderson’s robbery attempts, yet he got out of prison after a mere six years. Judge Thompson shortened the sentence and helped let this dangerous man back out of the streets where he killed another innocent person. This is not the first time the judge has made a ruling like this one. In 2000, he was involved in a child molester case. “Judge Thompson appeared to suggest that his 11-year-old victim was partly to blame for inviting the man into her bedroom.” Even if the child had “invited the man into her bedroom,” child molestation is a serious crime that should not be taken lightly. It is not the child’s fault. This editorial really freaked me out. I found it really scary to think that a circuit court judge, who people think should be intelligent and responsible, could play a part in crimes like this. He actually shortened Henderson’s sentence when the crimes involved him “stabb[ing] or slash[ing] people’s throats.” He was involved in three different robbery attempts and he still gets out after six years. It has been about two years since he was out on parole and he has committed another crime, although the trial has not been held yet. If he is found guilty for this one, then he should be locked up for a long time. The sentence should not be shortened in this case as Henderson obviously did not learn anything in the last six years he spent behind bars.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/02/editorial-criminal-friendly-in-rockville/