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California woman gets life for chopping off husband's penis
(Reuters) - A judge sentenced a Southern California woman who cut off her estranged husband's penis and tossed it in the garbage disposal to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Catherine Kieu, 50, was convicted by an Orange County jury in April of aggravated mayhem and torture following the July 2011 assault on her ex-husband.
Kieu drugged her former spouse before tying him up and severing his penis with a knife. She then threw it into the garbage disposal unit.
An attorney for Vietnam-born Kieu argued at trial that she had suffered sexual abuse as a child which left her with post-traumatic stress. She was remorseful about the attack, he said.
After the sentencing hearing, the victim - identified only as "Glen" - said he wished Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Toohey could have given Kieu more time behind bars, City News Service reported.
"Deep down inside I was hoping for a stronger sentence, but given the restraints of the law this is what he had to do," he said.
"There may be a situation where I can be happy, but whole? Never ... I've got a long ways to go."
(Reporting by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix; Editing by Eric Walsh)
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The justice system needs an overhaul, with “productive labor” being part of viable sentences – in part, being a voluntary program. I don’t care if America’s prisoners have to dig a canal across the USA, a restricted life vacation is far too wasteful.
While some prisoners need to be locked up for long sentences, others could work off major portions of their sentences; with positive results. Even ‘lifers’ could find merit in being productive; say, garden/farm work. Let American prisoners, in stead of Chinese factories, produce military uniforms – for just one example.
For starters, have prisoners produce bricks for ‘construction’ and ‘industry’ compound walls. Set up a program so that brick sales could pay for the ‘retained’ brick production.
Put the prisoners to work setting up various industries – and penalties for breaking rules. Add an in-time reward system, as well.
In concert, set up a “welfare alternative” program, with conventional “at-home” and more remote open farm/labor camps being built, similar to the W.W. II ‘family style’ Los Alamos compounds. There are a lot of ‘computer’ jobs (add “call centers”) which could be created and farmed-out to private companies who would otherwise export jobs overseas. Between ‘training’ and productive labor, a lot of ‘welfare’ money could be productively recycled.
Then, people such as this gal could be appropriately punished; without also uniquely punishing the state and Federal coffers. (Not that the ‘saved’ tax money wouldn’t be ‘redirected’ to “connected” recipients.)
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