An appalling judgement

I am not arguing the details of Judge Cynthia Meyer’s decision to give the son of a police detective 30 days jail time for raping a 15-year-old girl. I am arguing that her rationale, “he’s from a good family,” is flawed and biased, and it illustrates one of the biggest problems with our criminal justice system.

By flipping her reasoning on its head, you could expect Judge Meyers to give someone from a poor family a harsher punishment. That makes no sense. People from wealthy families, with members of that family who do good work, still do awful things. And, people from poor families with a history of crime, still do good things. Your family does not define you. They influence and guide, but they do not define.

Ayden Harden made the decisions he made, and he should have to face the consequences of that decision the same way that someone from a poor family would. I’m appalled that a judge, who enters into the position with a promise of impartiality, would make a decision based on connections and family history, not the facts of the case.

Holly Campbell

Palouse, Wash.