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September 11, 2007
CA: Mandatory Minimums and One Vet, Sargent Binkley
Sargent Binkley--California's Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws
Under California's strict mandatory minimum sentencing laws, US Army Captain Sargent Binkley is facing at least 12 years in state prison.
Sargent Binkley committed two robberies in 2006. These crimes were desperate attempts to obtain the painkillers he became addicted to after sustaining injuries while serving abroad. These injuries were repeatedly misdiagnosed and mistreated by the military medical system, resulting in Sargent’s downward spiral of addiction. He harmed no-one, took no money, and turned himself in. Under California’s minimum sentencing law, no judge can commute his sentence to one more in proportion to his crime. Sargent has been in jail for over a year and a half and potentially faces final sentencing on September 20th, 2007, in Santa Clara County.
http://supportsarge.org
Posted by lois at September 11, 2007 09:09 PM