The Chicago Sun-Times stepped off the reservation and reported on how Cook County judges are ignoring state sentencing guidelines and laws, letting young felons committing violent, forcible felonies off with a slap on the wrist.
It’s one of the many reasons Chicago Isn’t Safe. Not even for college students who aren’t in trouble with the law.
Chicago (Sun-Times) – Denzel Simons, 19, a first-time felon, stood before Cook County Circuit Judge Diane Cannon facing six to 30 years in prison for robbing a man at his Southwest Side home.
Denzel Simons, scumbag extraordinaire. Photo via Sun-Times.
There was no way he was supposed to get boot camp — a break reserved for young, nonviolent offenders.
His victim was against it. He’d lost his wallet, with $290 inside, and took a beating from Simons’ partner in crime, who pistol-whipped him.
What’s more, Illinois law explicitly ruled out a boot camp sentence. Boot camp or probation aren’t options for armed robbers like Simons. It’s too serious of a crime.
But in a decision repeated again and again in recent years by Cook County judges, Cannon ignored the law.
She gave Simons boot camp anyway.
A Sun-Times survey of thousands of pages of court records found that since 2006, Cook County judges have handed down hundreds of improper boot camp sentences to violent felons.
Simons’ case ended in tragedy.
Less than two years after he was sent to the four-month boot camp program, Simons was charged with murdering Kermit Delashment II, a 21-year-old college student with big dreams.
Delashment’s death was the 500th killing of 2008 in Chicago.
Had Simons been sentenced to prison instead of boot camp, it’s likely he would have still been behind bars at the time of the killing, law enforcement sources said. Cannon, though, argued Simons might have been out anyway if he had received the minimum prison sentence and gotten “good time” for behaving behind bars.
The victim’s father is left to wonder what might have been.
“If the judge had followed that particular statute, I might still have my son, and my kids might have their brother,” Kermit Delashment Sr. said. “He would have followed his dream. It is kind of hard to swallow.”
6 thoughts on “Chicago judges ignore sentencing laws; innocent people die because of it”
“He would have followed his dream. It is kind of hard to swallow.”
But swallow it you WILL, Peasant!….nobody in this article gives a hoot about another dead black kid killed by another black kid. Had the offender been white, this would have been national news. The fact that this is mostly ignored reveals the medias soft bigotry of low expectations for black people.
The aristocracy of cook county, the bizarre world of plea agreements, 402 conferences where everything is hashed out behind closed doors, prison overcrowding, wasted tax money, its all a part of the paper tiger that is the cook county justice system. The secret is out, theres no money, no space, and no way to stop it.
The political whores who keep their own scams running while shaking down anyone who dare create a business or buy a home in the city or county are the source of the problem. Its a one party rule, and the only concern is how much they can steal from the honest folk while giving nothing in return. Look at detroit to see the future of chicago. The dirty secret is that when the white folk give up and move on, its over!
Amen
The Liberal filth that runs Chicago and Cook county is pro criminal, it’s never the bad guy at fault. he’s a victim of society. the garbage bag’s family crawls out of the woodwork and then here comes some ” reverend ” telling what a good boy he really was. How many angels has Pat Quinn let out and had re offend ?. Rahm, Pat Quinn, Anita Alverez and scum bag Tom Dart want the bad guys on the street. It means more money to fight crime , more restrictions on everyone , more police state all around. that’s why all those running the state and Cook County especially want these guys running loose. they oppose CCW because one of their darlings could get hurt and less crime means less Gestapo action.
Has anyone ever tallied up the # of black kids who have been killed in Chicago since Daly #2 took office til today? If so, I’d be curious…..
What about the # of black kids gunned down from when Daly #1 was sworn in until #2 “rose to power”?
Rahm’s #s are FAIRLY well known, but I think it’d be interesting to have some cold, hard facts to go with the cold, dead kids who are the victims of their ‘leaders’ anti-gun-brain-dead-mindsets.
Might be an eye-popping exercise!
The Judge needs to be charged as an accessory.
This is defamation. Every one knows how crooked the police and the judicial system can be. There are innocent people behind bars who were convicted of crimes they didnt commit and thats just what their trying to do to this young man. A two for one deal on young black males.
“He would have followed his dream. It is kind of hard to swallow.”
But swallow it you WILL, Peasant!….nobody in this article gives a hoot about another dead black kid killed by another black kid. Had the offender been white, this would have been national news. The fact that this is mostly ignored reveals the medias soft bigotry of low expectations for black people.
The aristocracy of cook county, the bizarre world of plea agreements, 402 conferences where everything is hashed out behind closed doors, prison overcrowding, wasted tax money, its all a part of the paper tiger that is the cook county justice system. The secret is out, theres no money, no space, and no way to stop it.
The political whores who keep their own scams running while shaking down anyone who dare create a business or buy a home in the city or county are the source of the problem. Its a one party rule, and the only concern is how much they can steal from the honest folk while giving nothing in return. Look at detroit to see the future of chicago. The dirty secret is that when the white folk give up and move on, its over!
Amen
The Liberal filth that runs Chicago and Cook county is pro criminal, it’s never the bad guy at fault. he’s a victim of society. the garbage bag’s family crawls out of the woodwork and then here comes some ” reverend ” telling what a good boy he really was. How many angels has Pat Quinn let out and had re offend ?. Rahm, Pat Quinn, Anita Alverez and scum bag Tom Dart want the bad guys on the street. It means more money to fight crime , more restrictions on everyone , more police state all around. that’s why all those running the state and Cook County especially want these guys running loose. they oppose CCW because one of their darlings could get hurt and less crime means less Gestapo action.
Has anyone ever tallied up the # of black kids who have been killed in Chicago since Daly #2 took office til today? If so, I’d be curious…..
What about the # of black kids gunned down from when Daly #1 was sworn in until #2 “rose to power”?
Rahm’s #s are FAIRLY well known, but I think it’d be interesting to have some cold, hard facts to go with the cold, dead kids who are the victims of their ‘leaders’ anti-gun-brain-dead-mindsets.
Might be an eye-popping exercise!
The Judge needs to be charged as an accessory.
This is defamation. Every one knows how crooked the police and the judicial system can be. There are innocent people behind bars who were convicted of crimes they didnt commit and thats just what their trying to do to this young man. A two for one deal on young black males.