English or Jail? WTF?
Still not sure how I am feeling about this article. I am certain that I think that citizens that live in the U.S. should speak the national language.. which is English. However, jail time or English should not have been a sentence... The hispanic guys robbed and assaulted 2 men... they should have definitely been punished for that crime.. not for their inability to speak English.... however, I already have STRONG OPINIONS on illegal’s and other issues relating to that... language barriers, border control.... etc. But I don't think they need jail time for not speaking English... they could use a kick in the ass for not speaking in English, and jail time for the crimes they committed. Thats about it...... What do you think?
PA Judge Sentences 3 to Learn English
By AP STAFFAssociated PressMarch 28, 2008
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) -- A judge known for creative sentencing has ordered three Spanish-speaking men to learn English or go to jail. The men, who faced prison for criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, can remain on parole if they learn to read and write English, earn their GEDs and get full-time jobs, Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said.The men, Luis Reyes, Ricardo Dominguez and Rafael Guzman-Mateo, plus a fourth defendant, Kelvin Reyes-Rosario, all needed translators when they pleaded guilty Tuesday. ''Do you think we are going to supply you with a translator all of your life?'' the judge asked them. The four, ranging in age from 17 to 22, were in a group that police said accosted two men on a street in May. The two said they were asked if they had marijuana, told to empty their pockets, struck on the head, threatened with a gun and told to stay off the block. Attorneys for the men said they were studying the legality of the ruling and had not decided whether to appeal. One of the attorneys, Ferris Webby, suggested that the ruling was good for his client, Guzman-Mateo.''My client is happy,'' Webby said. ''I think it's going to help him.'' The judge sentenced the four men to jail terms of four to 24 months. But he gave the three men, who already had served at least four months, immediate parole. Reyes-Rosario remains imprisoned on an unrelated drug charge.Olszewski ordered the three to return with their parole officers in a year and take an English test. ''If they don't pass, they're going in for the 24 (months),'' he said. Olszewski is known for outside-the-box sentencing. He has ordered young defendants who are school dropouts to finish school. He often orders defendants to get full-time employment. But he also has his staff coordinate with an employment agency to help them find the jobs.Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PA Judge Sentences 3 to Learn English
By AP STAFFAssociated PressMarch 28, 2008
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) -- A judge known for creative sentencing has ordered three Spanish-speaking men to learn English or go to jail. The men, who faced prison for criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, can remain on parole if they learn to read and write English, earn their GEDs and get full-time jobs, Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said.The men, Luis Reyes, Ricardo Dominguez and Rafael Guzman-Mateo, plus a fourth defendant, Kelvin Reyes-Rosario, all needed translators when they pleaded guilty Tuesday. ''Do you think we are going to supply you with a translator all of your life?'' the judge asked them. The four, ranging in age from 17 to 22, were in a group that police said accosted two men on a street in May. The two said they were asked if they had marijuana, told to empty their pockets, struck on the head, threatened with a gun and told to stay off the block. Attorneys for the men said they were studying the legality of the ruling and had not decided whether to appeal. One of the attorneys, Ferris Webby, suggested that the ruling was good for his client, Guzman-Mateo.''My client is happy,'' Webby said. ''I think it's going to help him.'' The judge sentenced the four men to jail terms of four to 24 months. But he gave the three men, who already had served at least four months, immediate parole. Reyes-Rosario remains imprisoned on an unrelated drug charge.Olszewski ordered the three to return with their parole officers in a year and take an English test. ''If they don't pass, they're going in for the 24 (months),'' he said. Olszewski is known for outside-the-box sentencing. He has ordered young defendants who are school dropouts to finish school. He often orders defendants to get full-time employment. But he also has his staff coordinate with an employment agency to help them find the jobs.Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
posted by Jessica at
Friday, March 28, 2008
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