Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison. Could he have been sentenced to a shorter time or even probation?
In a written letter to the judge pleading for leniency, Michael Vick stated “I am not the bad person or beast I’ve been made out to be.” He also stated, “I take full responsibility for my actions and am ashamed that my actions hurt animals and allowed animals to be hurt and killed.”
It’s no wonder that he got more time than the prosecution requested. These statements indicate to me that he wrote them himself showing his true feelings and without any understanding of his actions, remorse or counseling to write his letter.
Michael Vick’s statement that he is not the bad person or beast that many people think he is, is ridiculous. The very fact that Judge Henry E. Hudson found that Michael Vick lied several times about his hands-on role in helping to kill pit bulls shows that he is a beast.
His other statement, “I take full responsibility for my actions…”, shows that after failing to prove that he is not a beast, he also continues not to care. The judge was correct in giving him additional time. I would have given him even more.
Michael Vick’s written and oral statements needed a few hours more thinking than the two minutes he spent on it. A few hours would have saved him many months.
Let’s look at some of the problems with Michael Vick’s statements and what he could have done differently: How he could have spent several hours to write an effective letter to show that his beliefs had really changed; how he would change; and how he would try to correct the damage he has done.
Telling the judge that “I’m not a bad person or a beast” accomplishes nothing. Why is he not a bad person? How can he show the judge that he did a bad thing but really is a good person; and that his actions were an anomaly because he was ‘”temporarily stupid”?
He said, “I take full responsibility for my actions…”. This is another empty statement. I always laugh at all of the people on TV who proclaim “I take full responsibility for my actions…”. What on earth does this mean to anyone with any degree of intelligence? What responsibility did he take? Full responsibility, of course!
There are generally only five ways that a person can take responsibility after committing a crime: 1) Admitting what you did; 2) Offering a truly sincere apology; 3) Serving time by being incarcerated; 4) Paying financial restitution or donating money to the victims or a cause, such as the SPCA or ASPCA; 5) Providing time by working for a cause related to the crime. In this case, it could be working in an animal shelter; doing educational TV commercials and even donating money to pay for the spots.
In summary, if Michael Vick had spent some time reflecting on his predicament, what he had done, what he needed to do and conveyed this properly in a letter and oral statement, he might have gotten off with probation.
Thoughts of a Criminal Attorney
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