# Mom gets 99 years for child abuse. Isn't that excessive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634 "2012-10-13T18:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/21 "2012-10-14T01:00:36Z")
I believe Yates’s mental state (she suffered from post-partum psychosis) was factored in. > [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve read other cases of child abuse that was far worse. 5 to 8 years is serious prison time. Maybe 10 years is better with possible parole at 7 or 8. :dubious: > [@](#): > > Once Jocelyn was there, medical authorities noticed severe bruises to her face and head, as well as a severe brain injury that led to her temporarily being in a coma. What part of “coma” and “severe brain injury” do you not understand? There’s probably a chance she’ll suffer lifelong brain damage. > [@Tracyfish](#): > > Apparently [this](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/12/benjamin-edetanlen-sentence-bible_n_1961602.html) guy still believes in “spare the rod, spoil the child” and used it as an excuse for beating his 5-month old son to death. > > He made a plea deal and got 18 years in jail. The mom who was guilty of child abuse was originally offered a plea deal of 45 years in jail but turned it down. That seems like a huge difference in punishment, but of course the man who killed his son was in Georgia and not Texas. It seems like the man who killed his son should have received a harsher sentence. Dear god, that guy is _smiling_ in his mugshot. _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/22 "2012-10-14T01:19:32Z")
Kudos to the judge who handed down that sentence. 5-8 years for that level of abuse would be horrible for her children, not to mention she would likely be having more children once when released. The sentence is appropriate imo . But I am wondering if she was offered a plea bargain and declined? Seemed weird that she was testifying to honestly. I do give her credit for owning up to her crimes, but unfortunately she does belong behind bars. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/23 "2012-10-14T01:28:14Z")
I don’t believe prison should be used for punitive purposes. Keep her away from her kids forever (while they’re still kids), and out of the gene pool long enough to prevent her from spawning again. I don’t feel qualified to judge whether the sentence she received was excessive. However, I’d be in favor of giving her the choice between the following options: 1. A jail sentence that lasts until menopause, no parole. For a 23-year-old woman, that would be approximately 28 years. 2. A jail sentence that lasts until her youngest child turns 18, no parole, and a requirement for permanent sterilization. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/24 "2012-10-14T01:40:14Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > I don’t believe prison should be used for punitive purposes. Keep her away from her kids forever (while they’re still kids), and out of the gene pool long enough to prevent her from spawning again. I don’t feel qualified to judge whether the sentence she received was excessive. However, I’d be in favor of giving her the choice between the following options: > > 1. A jail sentence that lasts until menopause, no parole. For a 23-year-old woman, that would be approximately 28 years. > 2. A jail sentence that lasts until her youngest child turns 18, no parole, and a requirement for permanent sterilization. Right, because the sort of people who beat their own two-year olds into comas are only dangers to their own kids. They never abuse step-children, younger family members, or other children put into their care. A woman that would do something like this is perfectly safe as long as she isn’t allowed around her own biological children. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/25 "2012-10-14T02:33:03Z")
If you like to beat your kids I feel bad for you son You’ll get 99 years, like this bitch just won. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/26 "2012-10-14T02:45:12Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > She super-glued a toddler’s hands to the wall and then punched and kicked her into a coma in front of her siblings, leaving her with a severe brain injury. She can be in time-out for the rest of her miserable life, and that’s fine with me. > > Thirty years before she’s up for parole sounds like\* just \*enough time to give her kids to prepare themselves for the possibility she might be walking around on the street again. This. It’s the headlines that are the problem. beating a child so severely that she goes into a coma (or was induced into a coma by doctors to save her). She needs to be off the street and sterilized to prevent future children. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/27 "2012-10-14T02:56:07Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > Absolutely not excessive. She’s made the world a worse place by fucking up minimum one, most likely 5 human beings. It breaks my heart. Without prejudice to the facts of tbe present case, I will point out that it is nkt unknown or indeed or indeed uncommon for abusers to act that way to one or more child and be perfectly nice and civil with the others. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/28 "2012-10-14T03:01:06Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Without prejudice to the facts of tbe present case, I will point out that it is nkt unknown or indeed or indeed uncommon for abusers to act that way to one or more child and be perfectly nice and civil with the others. For the other children to _witness_ such abuse is abuse and damages them profoundly. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/29 "2012-10-14T03:50:08Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > I don’t believe prison should be used for punitive purposes. Keep her away from her kids forever (while they’re still kids), She’d still be able to attack kids not her own in that case. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/30 "2012-10-14T07:22:37Z")
Wow. Five kids at age 23, with a sixth on the way at the time of the assault. As a layman, I wouldn’t be surprised if that were a factor in the sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/31 "2012-10-14T15:56:10Z")
IMHO, anywhere that has the capital punishment at all should have it for rape and child abuse. Not just murder. The fact that we don’t is not due to murder being the worst crime imaginable, it’s due to women and children beingconsidered property not too long ago. ---
**Author:** ![MrMasterDaniels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MrMasterDaniels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrMasterDaniels)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/32 "2012-10-14T17:15:52Z")
I disagree with the sentence. Jerry Sandusky molest 10 boys and gets only 30-60 years max. This woman glues and beats her children and gets 99. They both should get the same sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/33 "2012-10-14T18:06:59Z")
Agreed, Sandusky should get 10 sentences of 99 (non-consecutive). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/34 "2012-10-14T18:12:54Z")
[Charles Rothenberg](http://www.crimeshots.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9616), who in 1983 poured kerosene on his sleeping 8 year old son and set him fire and then drove away, got the maximum sentence allowed at the time: _13 years_. Why? Because his son David survived this vicious attack. [Kenneth Parnell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Parnell) who in 1972 kidnapped and sexually abuse Steven Staynor for seven years, only served five years. It’s high time judges can give anyone who tortures a child what they deserve: life in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/35 "2012-10-14T18:14:15Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > The problem isn’t that this sentence is too long, it’s that the others you mention are too short. You beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/36 "2012-10-14T18:23:56Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > [Charles Rothenberg](http://www.crimeshots.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9616), who in 1983 poured kerosene on his sleeping 8 year old son and set him fire and then drove away, got the maximum sentence allowed at the time: _13 years_. Why? Because his son David survived this vicious attack. > > [Kenneth Parnell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Parnell) who in 1972 kidnapped and sexually abuse Steven Staynor for seven years, only served five years. > > It’s high time judges can give anyone who tortures a child what they deserve: life in prison. there’s an advantage to letting them out early. The public gets to express their opinion of the act face to face. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/37 "2012-10-14T18:45:29Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I do find it strange that the headlines are “Mom gets 99 years for gluing toddler to wall” and not “Mom gets 99 years for beating toddler into coma”. I guess the first one sounds punchier, but almost makes it sound like she got life in prison for a prank. The beatings and other abuse are the important part. Exactly. She didn’t get 99 years for gluing her daughter’s hand to the wall, but for the rest of it. At this point, who can say for sure that the child will truly recover? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/38 "2012-10-14T18:55:16Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Exactly. She didn’t get 99 years for gluing her daughter’s hand to the wall, but for the rest of it. At this point, who can say for sure that the child will truly recover? Why do you think the child’s recovery is in jeopardy? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/39 "2012-10-14T19:05:25Z")
99 years for what she did? I’m thinking a nice neat lead insertion to the forehead would be more appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634/40 "2012-10-14T19:08:26Z")
Seriously, you beat ONE toddler into a coma, and people act like you’re a bad person or something? The fuck? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-gets-99-years-for-child-abuse-isnt-that-excessive/637634.md?page=3)