Good intent, good consequences, questionable motive June 29, 2008
Posted by midnightzimadreams in Civics, Life, Superfluous musings.add a comment
I appreciate what this judge is trying to do with his creative sentencing. He is giving people a second chance and in fact, compels them to make simple changes to change the course of their lives to the better. Some even seem to be grateful for the eye-opener. Four Spanish-speaking men facing up to a year of jail time for conspiracy to commit robbery and the judge gave them an ultimatum – learn English, complete their GEDs and get full-time jobs. They have a year to complete these tasks.
At first I thought – you can’t make people learn English. It’s not the official language of the United States. In fact, we don’t have an official language. And there are plenty of full-functioning, tax-paying, contributing members to society who do not speak English and reside in the United States. I am worried what this minor ruling in a county court could do as a precedent.
But the more I think about it, the more I think that the point in this situation is to give these people a set of tools for success. And sure, they might not need English, but then again, they might not need a GED to get a legitimate full-time job. That doesn’t mean that it’s a bad idea for them to learn English or get a GED. Both can only help. It seems reasonable within the discretion of this judge to require them to learn a commonly used language, go to school for the equivalent of a high school diploma, and keep full-time employment.
I guess the only thing that does remain worrisome is the motivation for the judge himself. I hope he chose the sentence purely as a means of opening a wide range of opportunities for the guys, but I don’t know… From the article “‘Do you think we are going to supply you with a translator all of your life?’ the judge asked them.”
Why not? We do that – supply translators – for plenty of first-generation U.S. citizens from Spanish speaking countries as well as many other languages… If you are older than 50 (and fit within a few other criteria) you can take the citizenship test in this country in whatever language you choose. (though, if you are younger, you need to take it in English – odd, once again, because we do not have an official language; but even then, you don’t have to be in-depth/proficient in English bur rather just demonstrate some very basic skills in reading and writing)
I supposed it is hard to denounce this one judge’s sentence, but it does still bother me a bit… I can see a slippery slope in the fog.
