Here you'll take a guilty plea on a charge in exchange for dropping others, or in exchange for having the charge reduced somehow. Sentencing remains with the judge entirely. But America does seem to be different.
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 1 October 2009 18:26 (fourteen years ago) link
although, it's not always totally about pleading guilty to a lesser charge. if the charge has a range of, say, 5-25 years, you can plead guilty to the highest charge in the hopes that the judge will take the prosecutor's punishment recommendation into account as opposed to just taking your chance with the judge
― rather shipped (J0rdan S.), Thursday, 1 October 2009 18:29 (fourteen years ago) link
Re Ismael: I think it's about the same in the US. Plea bargaining seems to have more to do with the charges levied than with the punishment imposed. Judges usually seem to go with the prosecutor's recs WR2 sentencing, but they aren't bound to. Crux is the "you plead guilty to this and we won't charge you with that" part.
― That's not just me saying that, that's the Pentagon. (contenderizer), Thursday, 1 October 2009 18:33 (fourteen years ago) link
right. so the idea that the judge backed out of an agreement is just a slur on a dead guy who can't answer back? because this passage has polanski and his lawyer testifying that they haven't made any backroom deal over sentencing and the judge makes it clear none of this is binding on him anyway. puts a whole new light on the judge's behaviour and makes polanski's flight even less excusable imo.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0928091polanskiplea11.html
― joe, Thursday, 1 October 2009 18:37 (fourteen years ago) link
Apparently no judge is ever legally bound to accept a plea bargain, and has the right to change his mind at any time. Polanski, of course, was *afraid* the judge would change his mind, and fled before the judge ever did so. Which makes Polanski seem all the more cowardly.
The reason this is all happening now, supposedly, is that Polanski and his lawyers shook the hornets nest earlier this year. That sketchy doc had come out, replete with allegations that there was some questionable exchange between the former prosecutor (Wells) and the judge that turned the latter against (or more against) Polanski and therefore tainted the trial. Polanski, con mucho hubris, started lobbying for the case to be dropped in early '09. Of course, the current L.A. prosecution team/D.A. did not take lightly to being lobbied by a fugitive who had plead guilty to a heinous crime, but at the same time offered to reassess the case in good faith if Polanski appeared in court. He even implied Polanski's team had made several strong points. Polanski of course didn't show, and the wheels were set in motion once again.
(For that matter, in a 2003 Vanity Fair piece, the victim, too, requested Polanski appear in court to put this all behind them, which belies all the "respect the victim's wishes" cries noted that she has "forgiven" him.)
News that Wells apparently just recanted his admission in the doc that he met with the judge and convinced him to drop the plea deal pretty much fucks Polanski, since that admission is largely what Polanski's team based its renewed lobbying efforts on. Now Wells claims he just showed the judge pictures of Polanski partying with young women at Oktoberfest, but whether he's lying or not is irrelevant. By discrediting himself, Wells takes himself out of the running to testify at Polanski's bequest that anything legally shady went down behind closed doors.
And now comes news that France and Poland have significantly lessened their "Free Polanski" stance down to near nil.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 1 October 2009 18:40 (fourteen years ago) link
The idea of Roman Polanski incarcerated is an anathema and a situation that we, who have the privilege of making movies, cannot tolerate.
This passage has received more than enough attention, but too much of it directed at "we, who have the privilege of making movies." The crux is "Roman Polanski incarcerated is an anathema and a situation that we ... cannot tolerate". In totally ignoring the circumstances of his incarceration, it becomes an argument that Polanski's art places him in a special class of people, people who not only receive special treatment, but rightly deserve it. And as it speaks from membership in his class to the rest of the world, it amounts to an elite's passionate defense of their own privileged difference. It's almost shocking to hear it stated so plainly. Like reading that wingnut's call for Obama to be overthrown in a military coup.
― That's not just me saying that, that's the Pentagon. (contenderizer), Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:09 PM (33 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
otm x 1000
― latebloomer, Thursday, 1 October 2009 18:47 (fourteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=373m99A_oP0
I still say Polanski's being publicly PUNISHED for having the nerve to make a slanderous film based on a slanderous book implicating ex-UK Prime Minister and soon-to-be EU President Tony Blair in the Iraq_War_(7-7)_conspiracy and CIA_torture debacle. Is it really not that obvious?
― James Mitchell, Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:11 (fourteen years ago) link
"And now comes news that France and Poland have significantly lessened their "Free Polanski" stance down to near nil."
France has always been know as a place that really sticks to their guns. France sprouting a ballsack would be "an anathema".
― Bill Magill, Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:12 (fourteen years ago) link
where would france's ballsack sprout, toulouse?
― velko, Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:15 (fourteen years ago) link
somewhere in provence maybe.
― Bill Magill, Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:15 (fourteen years ago) link
Bill Magill - Francologist (made up word)
― dowd, Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:17 (fourteen years ago) link
more like proctologist
― Roman Polanski now sleeps in prison. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:21 (fourteen years ago) link
Speaking truth to poo-er.
― Broman Polanski (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:23 (fourteen years ago) link
good one
― Bill Magill, Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:24 (fourteen years ago) link
OK, I see why Eric hates you guys
― A Patch on Blazing Saddles (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:43 (fourteen years ago) link
This is just an internet poll (from L'Express a French bi-weekly news magazine) but it sems to be the consensus:
The arrest of Roman Polanski is:
révoltant de transformer un festival en traquenard! 11%(disgusting to turn a festival into a trap)
normal quand on est recherché par la justice. 65%(normal when you're wanted by the justice system)
ridicule, c'est une affaire vieille de trente ans... 15%(ridiculous, it's a thirty year old story)
C 'est le cadet de mes soucis! 9%(the least of my worries)
― l'homme moderne: il forniquait et lisait des journaux (Michael White), Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:46 (fourteen years ago) link
Polanski made What? since the rape, and it's an awesome flick.
― Mordy, Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:50 (fourteen years ago) link
révoltant de transformer un festival en traquenard!
^ oh, the outrage
― Bill Magill, Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:58 (fourteen years ago) link
Sarkozy has much better things to do than get stuck in a traditional French polemic that no-one in France, apart from a couple of professional 'intellectuals' cares much about. France hasn't sprouted a ball-sack, he's just listening to the polls.
― l'homme moderne: il forniquait et lisait des journaux (Michael White), Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:58 (fourteen years ago) link
this thread is a traquenard
― steamed hams (harbl), Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:59 (fourteen years ago) link
it's a traquenard
― Mr. Que, Thursday, 1 October 2009 19:59 (fourteen years ago) link
Even if you add the 'ridiculous' and the 'revolting', it's still 65% - 26% in favor of the arrest. I'm not saying that's the national average but I bet the majority understands why this is happening. The biggest outrage seems to come from the Swiss who feel their traditional neutrality and independence is in tatters and who tend to opine on that more than on the merits of the case.
― l'homme moderne: il forniquait et lisait des journaux (Michael White), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:01 (fourteen years ago) link
Damn those ballsackless Frenchies with their uncontroversial opinions on the administration of law.
― France Sprouting a Balzac (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:02 (fourteen years ago) link
They eat cheese, y'know.
they ROLLED OVER for the NAZI REGIME and now they're ROLLING OVER for OBAMA SOCIALISM
― omar little, Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:03 (fourteen years ago) link
Got their asses handed to them in Vietnam too oh wait
― France Sprouting a Balzac (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:03 (fourteen years ago) link
WAKE UP, LIBTARDS
― omar little, Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:04 (fourteen years ago) link
traquenard fromage
― Bill Magill, Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:05 (fourteen years ago) link
what a disaster for surrender monkeys
― velko, Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:05 (fourteen years ago) link
http://206.47.170.43/channels/images/panther2.jpg
EXTRADITE THIS
― France Sprouting a Balzac (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:06 (fourteen years ago) link
too late
― a misunderstanding of Hip-Hop and contracts (HI DERE), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:07 (fourteen years ago) link
based on my extensive knowledge of sentencing garnered from years of watching law and order,
max, you just won yrself a free beer
― a full circle lol (J0hn D.), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:08 (fourteen years ago) link
HUMBURGER
― Mordy, Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:08 (fourteen years ago) link
― Mordy, Thursday, October 1, 2009 3:50 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark
what? is pre-chinatown so you're wrong on both counts
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:11 (fourteen years ago) link
what?
― steamed hams (harbl), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:12 (fourteen years ago) link
My bad about the date. What's the other count I'm wrong on?
― Mordy, Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:12 (fourteen years ago) link
probably it being awesome. this thread made me get chinatown out of the library, btw
― steamed hams (harbl), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:13 (fourteen years ago) link
i hope you can live w/yourself
― velko, Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:14 (fourteen years ago) link
i guess you could say that the petition signers want Polanski to be free
really free
really really really really free
― elmo leonard (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:16 (fourteen years ago) link
harbl is going on the list
― Cousin Larry Soetoro (jeff), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:22 (fourteen years ago) link
good work giving MONEY to a PEDERAST, "HARBL"! maybe when you're in HELL you'll realize the MISTAKE you made!!
― omar little, Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:30 (fourteen years ago) link
life of money life of sex
― Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:32 (fourteen years ago) link
life of money life of hex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGz9WTqCOj0
― Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Thursday, 1 October 2009 20:37 (fourteen years ago) link
is that where my $1.50 borrowing fee went?? o_O
― steamed hams (harbl), Thursday, 1 October 2009 21:21 (fourteen years ago) link
― A Patch on Blazing Saddles (Dr Morbius)
You've already known why for at least a decade longer than I have.
― boring movies are the most boring (Eric H.), Thursday, 1 October 2009 23:40 (fourteen years ago) link
It must be torment posting here for you two. We all really hurt for you.
― Alex in SF, Thursday, 1 October 2009 23:48 (fourteen years ago) link
we all really butthurt for you, surely
― Brewer's Bitch (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 October 2009 23:54 (fourteen years ago) link
Sorry, misread that "guys" as "gays."
― boring movies are the most boring (Eric H.), Thursday, 1 October 2009 23:59 (fourteen years ago) link
morelike roland marotmin
― baby girl lemme snrub up on you (J0rdan S.), Friday, 2 October 2009 06:01 (fourteen years ago) link