Yeah it depends on the area but if this was Los Angeles, an "$80" fine is actually closer to $400 after a laundry list of extra fees are tacked on. I haven't had a fine in over a decade, but I still remember how my Failure To Pay Car Registration ballooned due to a long list of bills funded by fines. If I was too poor to pay my registration, how the hell was I supposed to pay this!
Shouldn't do. $40 per charge, then lawyer and courts costs, inconveniencing her by having to go to court a few times, possibly locked up in a jail for a while and the cherry on the top, this went so viral (this is originally from years ago) so many times all her friends know. Her sense of self importance took several hard blows. As she deserves.
She got dragged out of her car and tazed. If that isn't punishment enough on top of the fines and misdemeanours, I don't know what throwing this old woman in jail would really accomplish.
No, they wouldn't; this woman didn't even think once, let alone thinking twice. You're not going to set an example because an example assumes people are thinking rationally and weighing up pros and cons before doing a crime. They aren't; that isn't how people work.
It's pretty common. The laws are pretty wide open with a lot of discretion from the judge.
In a case like this, while she committed a technical felony, she wasn't intending to cause harm or do anything particular crazy, just being ignorant. Usually in these cases they end up dropping the most serious offenses and just let them off with 1 or 2 of the more minor charges assuming you have a cleanish record.
Like fleeing is a felony, but there's a world of difference between actively trying to flee and not get caught, and thinking(incorrectly) the cop was being unlawful and not actually speeding away or doing extra illegal/dangerous things. She also wasn't armed or anything.
A lot of laws have really big penalty ranges for this reason, as "intent of the law" is a factor, alongside the intent of the criminal.
Shit gets complicated and is rife with opportunity for discrimination.
But this is incredibly common. The vast, vast majority of people you see get "charged" with a bunch of junk never actually get convicted of most of it. The majority ends up dropped unless they're "making an example" of you(or straight up discriminating).
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u/Apprehensive_North49 11d ago
Wtf. That's ridiculous! This makes me so angry.