Justice: Inherently insufficient

[Tiassa]

A Kent woman who let her two small children starve to death while she lay drunk in a filthy apartment pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter and one count of reckless endangerment this afternoon in King County Superior Court.

Marie Robinson made no comment other than to say "yes" when questioned by the judge as she entered her pleas.

She will be sentenced on Nov. 16. Prosecutors plan to ask for an exceptional sentence of 34 years.

(Bartley)

Justice will always be inherently insufficient. That's part of the problem that so many people have with compromise.

Robinson was evaluated for mental competency at Western State Hospital and after a year of evaluation found to be incompetent to assist in her own defense or to incapable of understanding the nature of the proceedings — legal necessities to be brought to trial.

Judge Helen Halpert in January ordered prosecutors to drop the charges. Robinson was sent back to Western State Hospital for civil commitment, but a few weeks later doctors there contacted the court to say she did not meet the standards and would be released.

Prosecutors then recharged her with second-degree murder and reckless endangerment in March. Robinson's attorneys say she suffers from depression, alcoholism and psychotic episodes.

A report released after Robinson's arrest showed that state child-protection workers had mishandled complaints about Robinson, who had previously lost custody of four older children. A Child Protective Services caseworker in Bremerton who was assigned to the family, Laura Munn, was overloaded with cases, missed deadlines and didn't investigate the complaints against Robinson thoroughly, the report found.

(ibid)

The compromise is with reality. Remember that, no matter how horrifying this case seems, and whatever else one might want to say about the CPS caseworker who blew it, the people of the State of Washington don't want to foot the bill to appropriately protect children at risk.

So now we're left with a borderline psychiatric case that compromises the possibility of conviction on murder charges and an overloaded CPS that results in legal exposure for the state as well as compromises the possibility of conviction on murder charges.

What possible justice could suffice?
___________________

Notes:

Bartley, Nancy. "Mother of 2 starved children pleads guilty to reduced charges". SeattleTimes.com. October 25, 2007. See http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003974701_webrobinson25m.html​

See Also:

Singer, Natalie. "Competence issue creates dilemma in '04 murder case". SeattleTimes.com. March 16, 2007. See http://archives.seattletimes.nwsour...rtex/display?slug=babydeaths16m&date=20070316​

 

[Non-Logical-Idea-Guy]

Sorry, whats the question?

 

[Baron Max]

Sorry, whats the question?

Tiassa just loves anything of a sensational nature ...especially when it points to any mistakes by those in authority, like cops or judges or social workers. I think it's just his way of venting his anger. Either that or Tiassa is an unemployed, frustrated newspaper reporter!

It's interesting that he never posts any articles showing any good things that those in authority might do ...like the cop in New York City that saved three little kids, or such as that.

Baron Max

 

[cosmictraveler]

Justice will always be inherently insufficient. That's part of the problem that so many people have with compromise.

Sometime compromises work out just fine for the most part but on occasion there's always going to be a few things that go wrong. That is just part of being human and doing the best that we can under the circumstances that are given. No one is perfect....unless you are.

 

[Tiassa]

It's something

And so closes a grim chapter: Marie Robinson on Friday received a 34-year sentence for the fatal neglect of two of her children. Justice Robinson was sixteen months old. Raiden Robinson all of six weeks.

Prosecutors managed a deal whereby Robinson would plead guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter while receiving an exceptional sentence, twice the standard.

Bartley, Nacny. "Mother who allowed 2 babies to die gets 34 years in prison". SeattleTimes.com. November 16, 2007. See http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004018254_webrobinson16m.html​