# Rich people don't go to prison **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 1, 2014, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071 "2014-04-01T13:05:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/1 "2014-04-01T13:05:27Z")
[Not even for child rape](http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/03/31/wealthy-heir-receives-only-probation-for-rape-three-year-old-daughter/6PmKcs1VgsPGlfUqluULNP/story.html). DuPont heir Robert Richards, a lazy ass who does nothing but collect on his trust fund, was convicted of raping his three-year-old daughter, but is only getting probation. Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden explained: > [@](#): > > Her observation that prison life would adversely affect Richards was a rare and puzzling rationale, several criminal justice authorities in Delaware said. Some also said her view that treatment was a better idea than prison is a justification typically used when sentencing drug addicts, not child rapists. Yes, indeed, he would “not fare well” in prison, Your Honor. But who does? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/2 "2014-04-01T13:12:37Z")
Dupont avoids jail in Delaware. Not all that surprising. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/3 "2014-04-01T13:13:30Z")
Yeah, this story pretty much tells you all you need to know about America. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/4 "2014-04-01T13:25:02Z")
What I want is for the next felon sentenced in her court to ask for probation, explaining that he also wouldn’t fair well in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/5 "2014-04-01T13:34:25Z")
So…are we thinking bribery or extortion? ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/6 "2014-04-01T13:46:04Z")
All I keep thinking is I hope to god this isn’t story isn’t true. Any of it. My youngest daughter will be three at the end of the month. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/7 "2014-04-01T13:59:29Z")
I’m reminded of an old Persian proverb: “Kindness to the tiger is cruelty to the lamb.” ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/8 "2014-04-01T14:10:38Z")
Richards has a bright future torturing prisoners. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/9 "2014-04-01T14:28:39Z")
Are they sending him to a Rape Treatment Center, where he can be carefully and slowly weaned off of raping infants? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/10 "2014-04-01T14:39:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are they sending him to a Rape Treatment Center, where he can be carefully and slowly weaned off of raping infants? The important thing is not to try to go cold turkey, that never works. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/11 "2014-04-01T14:40:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are they sending him to a Rape Treatment Center, where he can be carefully and slowly weaned off of raping infants? “Richards, rape this frog instead! It will cure your AIDS.” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/12 "2014-04-01T14:46:09Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Dupont avoids jail in Delaware. Not all that surprising. Not bad for a place that [doesn’t actually exist](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=35621). I’ve been there. North Delaware is a suburb of Philly. Sort of like a Camden, NJ that doesn’t suck _as much_, but still isn’t that great. South Delaware is just farms, roadside farmers’ markets, and Arby’s. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/13 "2014-04-01T14:48:28Z")
It’s better to see 100 child rapists go free than to see someone fare poorly in prison. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/14 "2014-04-01T15:09:28Z")
Martha Stewart went for obstruction of justice in an effort to avoid the loss of a sum of money nearly meaningless in the grand scheme (45k). So all is right. Not saying she didn’t do anything wrong, but if you had to chose… ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/15 "2014-04-01T15:10:20Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Yeah, this story pretty much tells you all you need to know about America. This story pretty much tells you all you need to know about _humanity_. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/16 "2014-04-01T15:45:17Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Yeah, this story pretty much tells you all you need to know about America. I’m always amazed when somebody can make this much of a leap in logic. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/17 "2014-04-01T15:47:50Z")
I’m always amazed that America has let itself be turned into a third world country where the rich are above the rule of law. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/18 "2014-04-01T15:56:24Z")
OK, lawyer question. Can the prosecution appeal a sentence they feel is too light? I mean, it’s not double jeopardy because he was convicted. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/19 "2014-04-01T16:04:18Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > OK, lawyer question. > > Can the prosecution appeal a sentence they feel is too light? I mean, it’s not double jeopardy because he was convicted. A recent case in Colorado brought this up. I think the appeal was denied, and the judge decided to retire in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071/20 "2014-04-01T16:04:43Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > OK, lawyer question. > > Can the prosecution appeal a sentence they feel is too light? I mean, it’s not double jeopardy because he was convicted. According to the below, the AG can refer the case to the Court of Appeals to review sentencing. However, it appears that like the Supreme Court, they don’t have to take up review. [http://sixthformlaw.info/01\_modules/mod1/1\_3\_penal\_system\_2\_powers/30\_powers\_appeals.htm](http://sixthformlaw.info/01_modules/mod1/1_3_penal_system_2_powers/30_powers_appeals.htm) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-people-dont-go-to-prison/685071.md?page=2)