Getting Ready for a Sentencing Proceeding? Judge Says "Get A Job!"
With just a few minutes to "share" today I wanted to pass on this advice from a Boise District Court Judge to one of my clients recently. Following the entry of the plea, it takes 4 - 6 weeks for the preparation of the pre-sentence investigator's report. That is a 4 - 6 week window to make your appearance to the court more relevant at the time of the sentencing. Judge's advice to my client: "Get a job!"
Jobs open up possibilities like work release and community service. Jobs make you appear more like "us." You see, here is that key again to any good case - you need to look like one of "us," not one of "them." Us? Them? What do you mean?
You know -"us" - the squares that pay their taxes, follow the law, work for a living and take care of persons and things beyond themselves. We generally believe the world spins beyond us and includes others. That's us!
Them? Well, think crooks and hoods and dealers and grifters. Think folks that you would not trust to spend the night in the home of the person you love the most (someone other than yourself). Think folks who scare the hell out of you when you see them and cause you to cross to the other side of the street. Them!
Maybe life is more complex than this, but I don't think so. After nearly thirty years of selling reasonable doubt for a reasonable price, I believe this is what matters. Perception is reality.
So get a job. Look like you are one of us. Care about someone other than yourself. You might not just avoid hard time, you might get a new life.
