Why do Middle Class criminals/suspects get spared jail sentences?

royal1990

This specific question is actually in relation to one particular incidence I read, the suspect was known personally to me. He was spared a jail sentence for sex offences.

He received a suspended sentence, and a limited period on the sex offenders register, because he was a respected academic and figure in society.

He lectured at my University, and was well-known and respected within the academic community, served on committees and in prestigious high societies.

I also know of at least 2 other people personal to me that were convicted of similar sex offences, one was a teacher who taught at private schools in London, and was a Cambridge alumni.

He received a two year sentence for a catalogue of child sex offences, and had his sentence halved. If he were to be your average joe he would have been convicted for a lengthier time frame. But because of who he was it is like the judge felt sympathy or he somehow was connected to the judge.

The other a P.E. teacher/football coach convicted of grooming and lewd behaviour against children in the 1980s, he got 18 months.

Why is it the culture that these people get let of the hook? Whereas if you were a working class man you'd have less leniency?

Is it because the ruling elite are judges and prosecutors, they can relate to these archetypal criminals?

It seems to be an emergent culture that the high society, celebrity and those in government are untouchable to the laws of the land.

Reply 1

AlwaysBroke.

17

Hmm Ikr. there was this incident today I think about a guy called Mathhew Falder who was a lecturer at Cambridge admitting 137 charges including rape and the encouraging of rape of a 4 year old boy and quoting something along of the lines of "he didn't care if neither his victims were alive nor dead"
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Instead of what should have been life, he was given 32 years in jail.

Reply 2

royal1990

OP

15

Original post by mc_miah

Hmm Ikr. there was this incident today I think about a guy called Mathhew Falder who was a lecturer at Cambridge admitting 137 charges including rape and the encouraging of rape of a 4 year old boy and quoting something along of the lines of "he didn't care if neither his victims were alive nor dead"
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Instead of what should have been life, he was given 32 years in jail.

Precisely my point. It's a bit like class discrimination via the legal system. Or that some judges are just simply idiots and shouldn't work in the system.

Either way, it's ludicrous.

Just because your an intellectual, lecturer, police officer, judge or some other respected professional why does that make you less responsible so as to receive a lesser sentence?

Reply 3

Napp

22

Original post by royal1990

Precisely my point. It's a bit like class discrimination via the legal system. Or that some judges are just simply idiots and shouldn't work in the system.

Either way, it's ludicrous.

Just because your an intellectual, lecturer, police officer, judge or some other respected professional why does that make you less responsible so as to receive a lesser sentence?

I believe part of the reasoning is that these upstanding members of society will receive a disproportionately severe punishment to their reputation, as opposed to the cads and bounders in society and thus this is factored in.

Reply 4

royal1990

OP

15

Original post by Napp

I believe part of the reasoning is that these upstanding members of society will receive a disproportionately severe punishment to their reputation, as opposed to the cads and bounders in society and thus this is factored in.

So in other words, because they are not beneath civilised society or neither average joes, they are dealt a better hand?

Why do Middle Class criminals/suspects get spared jail sentences?

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