What does it matter? He robbed a bank! Someone died! He chose to break his contract with society. If I did that, I would expect zero considerations be made for my two kids. It is my responsibility to never put them in such a position.
Who's going to raise them? A single mother, if they're lucky. Think she's going to have an easy time re-marrying with an ex-con husband? How about getting a good job in the era of background checks? Think she was highly educated to begin with?
Taxpayers at large are going to foot most of bill for this domestic disaster. Further, these children are now more likely to end up in jail themselves. Now society gets to pay another $30,000 a year per child to house, feed and care for another inmate.
This isn't strictly touchy-feely stuff here, there's a hard cost to society when you jail people without any thoughts towards true justice. It's stupid, ineffective and perverse.
What is true justice?
Whatever justice is, it cannot be forfeiting our own empathy and humanity.
I'm sticking with "fuck this guy".
If you really want to bear a cross, I can think of a few better candidates for your poster boy of injustice.
And I don't disagree with you! I hate injustice like you're referring to as well. But injustice is not some exchangeable capital. We can't correct one by neglecting to punish another.
And it seems that this type of systemic overcompensation is exactly what is going on in your justice system.
I wish that persecutors would use same zeal to persecute all the crimes. Including police crime and white collar crime. Then, perhaps it would dawn on you that such random and strict distribution of justice is no justice at all.
Where was ours when we drove him to that crime?
> I can think of a few better candidates for your poster boy of injustice.
Unlike some people, I don't feel it is morally appropriate to pick and choose who gets justice.
Your argument is moot.