Opinion ID: 1942822
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Community poll on sentence

Text: Prior to sentencing the defendant, the Court ordered a presentence investigation by the State Board of Probation and Parole. Following the Justice's request to the Probation and Parole Officer to ascertain the attitude towards the defendant of residents of Livermore Falls, where the defendant was then living, and what they thought should be the proper sentence in the instant case, twelve of over three thousand inhabitants of the town were interviewed. The questionnaire conducted by the officer was stated to be in the following general format: I said to the people that a man by the name of Henri Samson who lives in Livermore Falls has been convicted of having indecent liberties with a ten-year old girl. He is now before the Court to be sentenced, and on instructions of the Presiding Justice I have been asked to come to Livermore Falls and find out how the community feels about what should happen to this fellow. I . . . explained, if they didn't know, what indecent liberties meant, and said that the range of sentence, according to statute, was one to ten years, that the Judge had an option to give him less than that, but, if you were in the Judge's shoes, what would you recommend?