A summary...
She was driving drunk 25+ mph over the limit on the wrong side of the road. She killed a guy and she went to the hospital. While she was there - she tried to get an IV to dilute her blood alcohol concentration with an IV.
She got 15 years for pleading guilty to vehicular homicide, but will not serve any of the time after her sentence was suspended.
IDK it's obviously a tragedy, but also 15 years in obviously just a punitive sentence - keeping this person in a cage for 15 years isn't going to achieve shit. I think the judge made the right choice, or at least more right than a 15 year sentence.
Agree with you about the sentence being long, but the goal of sentencing (imo) should be to prevent this from happening again. She should have to forfeit her license and have her car sold.
I 100% agree. Honestly I'm not even against imprisonment if there is reason to believe she is truly reckless and is liable to do the exact same thing again without a license, but 15 years for manslaughter is a joke.
It's a fair enough position. The problem is that because of American infrastructure there is a good chance that that is a sentence of homelessness. I know many people who have continued driving with a suspended license bc there is no feasible alternative to get to work and thus be able to pay rent.
My twisted little plan to turn people into bike and transit boosters.
Unfortunately, as you've said, most people would just continue to drive without a license instead.