Justice scare in Elmira

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Dir Sirs,

I have sent you information on my case. I had a two-week trial in August. I was found guilty of five E Felonies and three A misdemeanors. In my lawyer's statement to the judge before sentencing, he showed statistics that only 26% of those who commit my "crime" go to prison, with many being second and third offenders. Since I was a first offender, age 42, own property, lived in the community all my life, have a child, etc., he said I should be given probation or a county jail term. But because I am a political radical, the judge gave me 7 to 20 years in prison. My lawyer said that was probably the harshest sentence anyone has ever gotten for consensual sex with boys fifteen and sixteen, just two boys. In sentencing, the judge said that the only crime worse than what I did was "murder." My one charge was sodomy and the judge said that it is one of the greatest evils in the world and has been an evil for thousands of years and mentioned the religious origin of the word. [...]

Am Elmira police officer, while on duty, sexually abused two girls, 12 and 13, two different times in one day and was only charged with one misdemeanor and given three years probation. I was investigated for one year; for him, from charge to sentencing, just two months. The police talked with everyone I knew, threatening people with jail. There was no investigation into his case. Unbelievable!

source: Letter 'Justice scare in Elmira' by Henry J. Halm; NAMBLA Bulletin, Vol. 11, n. 9; December 1990