In the arena of criminal justice, judges walk a tightrope when it comes to making sure the punishment fits the crime. The requirements of the law carry the most weight on the scales of justice, but judges also must balance those mandates with recommendations from prosecutors and the wishes expressed by victims and their families. Finding that middle ground is the challenge judges must face. “Sometimes we’re going to have a victim that isn’t going to be happy absent the death penalty,” said John Simpson, chief prosecutor for the Massillon City Prosecutor’s Office. “We allow victims to have some say in sentencing within reason.” MySpace ban Recently, Massillon Municipal Judge Edward Elum took the unusual step of banning an offender from using MySpace and Facebook pages for five years. Christopher Bixler, 18, of Tuscarawas Township, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent vehicular homicide stemming from the March traffic crash that took the life of a 55-year-old Canton woman in Jackson Township. Bixler received 60 days in jail and 90 days of house arrest. Elum said his decision to ban Bixler from having a MySpace page was based solely on comments made by one of the victims at Bixler’s sentencing hearing. “They seemed to be very offended that he would go on MySpace with some sort of bravado about his exploits,” Elum said. “I know in talking to (Massillon Police) Det. Bobby Grizzard that this stuff can get people into trou ...
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In the arena of criminal justice, judges walk a tightrope when it comes to making sure the punishment fits the crime. The requirements of the law carry the most weight on the scales of justice, but judges also must balance those mandates with recommendations from prosecutors and the wishes expressed by victims and their families. Finding that middle ground is the challenge judges must face. “Sometimes we’re going to have a victim that isn’t going to be happy absent the death penalty,” said John Simpson, chief prosecutor for the Massillon City Prosecutor’s Office. “We allow victims to have some say in sentencing within reason.” MySpace ban Recently, Massillon Municipal Judge Edward Elum took the unusual step of banning an offender from using MySpace and Facebook pages for five years. Christopher Bixler, 18, of Tuscarawas Township, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent vehicular homicide stemming from the March traffic crash that took the life of a 55-year-old Canton woman in Jackson Township. Bixler received 60 days in jail and 90 days of house arrest. Elum said his decision to ban Bixler from having a MySpace page was based solely on comments made by one of the victims at Bixler’s sentencing hearing. “They seemed to be very offended that he would go on MySpace with some sort of bravado about his exploits,” Elum said. “I know in talking to (Massillon Police) Det. Bobby Grizzard that this stuff can get people into trou ...