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Greg Evans
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The actress Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to 14 days in jail after admitting to and being found guilty of paying $15,000 to boost her daughter's test scores.
Huffman, who is best known for her role in Desperate Housewives, was charged and sentenced on Friday, where she must also pay a $30,000 fine as well as doing community service.
Prosecutors have said that the sentencing was done so in the hope of deterring others from attempting to use bribes in order to advance their lives.
In the context of this case, neither probation nor home confinement would constitute meaningful punishment or deter others from committing similar crimes.
While this may sound like a fair and reasonable punishment, the sentencing has received a backlash with some pointing out the 'white privilege' that appears to be in effect.
On Twitter, users are using cases where black men and women were given much longer and harsher sentences for crimes that could be deemed as lesser offences.
One of these examples is Tanya McDowell who was given 5 years for enrolling her son in a school outside her listed district.
Tanya McDowell serving 12 years for sending her child to school in a better district and Felicity Huffman getting 1… https://t.co/UOSKqxUZ7Z— Travon Free (@Travon Free) 1568404282
Remember Tanya McDowell? She got 12 yrs for sending her son to school in Norwalk CT while she ‘lived’ in Bridgepor… https://t.co/S1QeCgIz8z— Bishop Talbert Swan (@Bishop Talbert Swan) 1568033603
There is also Crystal Mason who is serving five years in prison for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 presidential election, while she was on a supervised release for tax fraud.
14 days? Crystal Mason (a black woman) mistakenly voted in 2016 presidential election after being released from pr… https://t.co/KOLtZuNlOm— Hakeem Jeffries (@Hakeem Jeffries) 1568427604
White. Privalege. A black woman mistakenly votes on a provisional ballot=5 years. White women with money cheats… https://t.co/PMI7IjtK39— Jamie Carter (@Jamie Carter) 1568433805
People: Our monstrous prison system is attempting to consume Crystal Mason for the mere crime of voting. Me: Shit… https://t.co/1W2RI9Sb4M— Puff the Magic Hater (@Puff the Magic Hater) 1568441317
Earlier this year Alvin Kennard was given an astonishing 36-year-sentence for stealing just $50 from a bakery in Alabama.
A man spent 36 years in prison for stealing $50 from a bakery. Felicity Huffman got 14 days. https://t.co/G5JwQiv1UO via @ABC— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@Ana Navarro-Cárdenas) 1568403807
Incidentally, the aforementioned Mason, who is currently out of prison on an appeal bond, has responded to Huffman's sentencing and the comparisons that are being made to her.
In a statement she said:
I don’t wish this for anyone, but a sentence to 14 days for actual serious fraud just shows how unfair my sentence is.
I’m hopeful the Justices will see that under the law, I shouldn’t have been convicted in the first place.
HT Someecards
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